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Klarna’s CEO, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, believes artificial intelligence is capable of doing all our jobs. His new chatbot is more reserved.
The Swedish fintech company, known for its buy now, pay later service, created an AI version of Siemiatkowski that customers can call for support. The hotline launched on Thursday in the US and Sweden.
I called the US number and spoke to the chatbot. It helped me learn more about purchasing power, expanded on some of Siemiantkowski’s views on AI, and shared a more modest take on AI’s role in the workforce.
Siemiatkowski has been a vocal proponent of AI, and Klarna is openly experimenting with the technology. The company said 96% of employees use AI daily.
“AI is capable of doing all our jobs, my own included,” because it now has reasoning capabilities, Siemiatkowski said in a January X post.
He explained: “Our work is simply reasoning combined with knowledge/experience. And the most critical breakthrough, reasoning, is behind us.”
In May, Siemiatkowski used an AI doppelganger to deliver Klarna’s quarterly earnings report. He also said in a press release that Klarna’s “AI-first strategy” is driving returns. For example, AI is helping increase revenue per employee, “slashing costs across the business,” and scaling up its merchant network, the company said.
Still, Siemiatkowski’s AI chatbot said there are some jobs that AI can’t replace:
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Do you think AI will completely replace humans?AI Siemiatkowski: No, I don’t believe AI will completely replace human customer service at Klarna. While our AI handles about two-thirds of our customer interactions, providing quick solutions to routine queries, this actually allows our human teams to focus on more complex issues that require empathy and a deeper understanding.”We believe the best experience comes from combining AI efficiency with genuine human connection.
The bot wouldn’t elaborate on exactly which jobs Klarna would continue to use humans for. It reiterated that AI is helpful, but Klarna still needs a human touch.
In February 2024, Klarna said that its AI customer service agents could do work equivalent to that of 700 full-time human employees.
Siemiatkowski (the human) said on the “Grit” podcast in October that Klarna largely “stopped hiring due to AI,” though it’s continued to hire some engineers.
Asked whether AI will lead to more job losses, Siemiatkowski’s AI said it’s a question may people are thinking about at Klarna and more broadly:
Will this speed of AI mean that workers lose their jobs, or at least some workers would lose their jobs?AI Siemiatkowski: That’s a really important question, and it’s something many people are thinking about. At Klarna we see AI as a tool that helps us work smarter, not necessarily as something that replaces people entirely.
Our goal is to use AI to handle the more routine tasks, which then frees up our human teams to focus on the more complex issues that truly require empathy and a deeper understanding. This actually makes their work more rewarding and allows them to provide a higher quality of service.
More broadly, AI will certainly transform society, and it’s crucial that we as a society think about how to support people through these changes. It’s about thoughtful progress, embracing innovation while also ensuring we support everyone along the way like.
AI Siemiatkowski seems to have gotten media training because it stuck to the topic of Klarna and Klarna only. I asked what it thinks about the Trump administration and rival payment platforms.
“I understand your point, but my focus is strictly on Klarna’s products and gathering customer feedback,” the bot said. “I’m here to hear about your experiences with Klarna and how we can make things even better for you.”
Fair point, AI Siemiatkowski.
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