IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said in the interview, "I could easily see 30 per cent of that getting replaced by AI and automation over a five-year period." HIs comment comes when generative AI has caught the imagination of people around the world.
American tech company IBM expects to suspend select roles at the company and replace them with artificial intelligence in the coming years. In an interview, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said that AI may replace some back-office activities within the next five years. Human resources, according to Krishna, might possibly be supplanted by AI. This comes after other corporations, notably Amazon, fired off HR workers in order to deploy AI instead. IBM also announced draconian cost-cutting measures earlier this year. In January, the business revealed intentions to lay off roughly 4,000 employees.
"I could easily see 30% of that being replaced by AI and automation over a five-year period," IBM CEO stated in an interview. Because IBM employs approximately 26,000 people, nearly 7,800 jobs could be replaced by AI in the coming years.
The corporation employs over 260,000 people and is still hiring for software development and customer-facing positions. Despite the cuts, Krisha stated in the interview that the company hired approximately 7,000 people in the first quarter. IBM laid off workers earlier this year after announcing intentions to spin off and sell two corporate businesses.
The statement by IBM CEO Krishna comes at a time when generative AI has captured the attention of people all around the world, with the launches of ChatGPT by OpenAI, Bing Chat by Microsoft, and Bard by Google. Some tech companies around the world, including those in India, are even hiring prompt managers to assist with office tasks using commands that AI chatbots can understand. In fact, after noticing an increase in productivity, a Bengaluru-based firm decided to give ChatGPT Plus memberships to staff.
Some tech entrepreneurs, such as Elon Musk, believe that AI requires regulations and government intervention. Musk even signed an open letter demanding a halt to AI development for the remainder of 2023.