International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) expects to put a “pause” on hiring for “back-office” roles that could potentially be automated by artificial intelligence (AI).
Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM explain in a May 1 interview with Bloomberg that many “back-office” positions such as those in human resources and accounting departments will likely be the first to be automated by AI.
The IBM boss added that he could “easily” see 30% of those positions replaced by AI over a five-year period.
Dropbox: lay off 500 people and replace them with AI
IBM: suspend hiring of about 7,800 roles that could be filled by AI
AI is already replacing jobs
— Genevieve Roch-Decter, CFA (@GRDecter) May 1, 2023
IBM employs 282,000 employees worldwide according to LinkedIn and according to Bloomberg has around 26,000 non-customer-facing employees, which means around 7,800 jobs could shift to AI.
“I could easily see 30% of that being replaced by AI and automation over a five-year period.”
According According to some reports, AI-powered automation has already helped IBM save more than $1 billion in business expenses and maintenance costs.
Some of the tasks that can be automated include providing employment verification letters or moving employees between departments.
However, Krishna thinks human resource roles that assess the composition of the workforce, measure productivity and other tasks that benefit from human judgment are unlikely to be replaced in the next decade.
For AI to work, it must be built responsibly. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna discusses how organizations can prepare for the challenges and opportunities ahead in @FortuneMagazine: pic.twitter.com/gZtLwTNklb
—IBM (@IBM) April 24, 2023
Many industry experts remain at a crossroads over whether AI actually has the potential to leave humans out of work at scale.
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A recent study found that 62% of Americans believe the implementation of artificial intelligence in the workplace will have a “major impact” on workers over the next 20 years, leaving many employees “wary” and “worried” about what their future holds.
The most tech-savvy employees, however, feel a bit more reassured about their future.
Blockchain developer Salman Arshad recently explained to Cointelegraph that instead of AI coming to wipe out the developer market, it will only serve as a tool to increase efficiency.
“You know what your business wants to do. You can tell ChatGPT, and it can perfectly turn your commands into a smart contract, audit process, document, or white paper.
“ChatGPT and AI tools are a blessing; they are not our enemies and are not there to end a developer’s career,” he added.
Another blockchain developer, Syed Ghazanfer, explained to Cointelegraph that the combination of human input and ChatGPT offers much more versatility than a complete transition to AI automation.
On the other hand, Dominik Schiener, the founder of the IOTA Foundation, believes that AI will take away job opportunities from humans, but at the same time, AI and the robotic process will create new jobs:
“We’ll see more and more humans forced into new roles that may be unlike anything they’ve ever done.”
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