As software firms sell more AI, they are shifting from subscription fees to charging based on how much customers use it and whether it actually helps their business. Salesforce shows how complicated this transition may be.

A provider of software for managing customer relationships and other tasks, Salesforce is starting to let businesses choose how they want to pay for its Agentforce AI. That includes negotiating custom contracts that charge businesses based on how much the AI either grows revenue by helping salespeople close more deals or cuts costs by automating more customer service interactions.