IBM to pause hiring in plan to replace 7,800 jobs with AI

IBM expects to pause hiring for roles, as roughly 7,800 jobs could be replaced by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the coming years, said its CEO

File photo of the IBM logo | Photo Credit: REUTERS

International Business Machines Corp. expects to pause hiring for roles as roughly 7,800 jobs could be replaced by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the coming years, CEO Arvind Krishna told Bloomberg News on Monday.

Hiring specifically in back-office functions such as human resources will be suspended or slowed, Krishna said, adding that 30% of non-customer-facing roles could be replaced by AI and automations in five years.

His comment comes at a time when AI has caught the imagination of people around the world after the launch of Microsoft Corp-backed OpenAI’s viral chatbot, ChatGPT, in November last year.

The reduction could include not replacing roles vacated by attrition, the PC-maker told the publication.

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IBM did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.