May 3, 2023

Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM, has publicly said that his company intends to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to remove thousands of jobs.

According to Krishna, IBM aims to halt hiring in back-office operations, where the business employs around 26,000 people, and IBM expects AI and automation to replace nearly 30% of these positions over a five-year timeframe. This would result in the loss of around 7,800 jobs.

IBM’s ambitions are one of the first significant corporation acknowledgements that it intends to cut its personnel with AI. It is also one of the most significant workforce initiatives launched in response to the rapid advancement of AI technology.

According to Krishna, more commonplace HR functions such as employment verification letters and shifting personnel across departments would most likely be totally automated. However, some HR functions, such as assessing workforce composition and productivity, are unlikely to be replaced in the coming decade.

The sources for this piece include an article in Axios.