Power of AI is "happening right now" says Klarna boss, as AI-powered chatbot carries out work of 700 people

The CEO of Klarna says the power of AI is “happening right now”, after revealing data showing Klarna’s Open AI-powered chatbot handles two-thirds of Klarna’s customer service chats.

Klarna, which announced its partnership with OpenAI last year, said the chatbot has handled 2.3 million customer service chats in 35 languages globally in its first four weeks, the equivalent workload of 700 full-time human agents.

Posting on X, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Klarna CEO and co-founder, however, struck a note of caution and said the data raised “implications for society”.

He said:

“As more companies adopt these technologies, we believe society needs to consider the impact.

“While it may be a positive impact for society as a whole, we need to consider the implications for the individuals affected.

“We decided to share these statistics to raise the awareness and encourage a proactive approach to the topic of AI.

“For decision-makers worldwide to recognise this is not just ‘in the future’, this is happening right now."

Klarna outsources its customer services operations, with around 3,000 agents working on Klarna customer service.

A spokesperson said this would be reduced to around now 2,300, given the success of the AI-powered bot.

In the press release, Klarna said the bot had customer satisfaction ratings on a par with its human equivalent, a higher accuracy than humans with a 25 per cent reduction in repeat inquiries, and can resolve tickets in less than 2 minutes compared to a previous benchmark of 11 minutes. Ultimately, Klarna says it will drive $40 million in profit improvement in 2024.

Announcing its partnership with OpenAI last year, Klarna said it was one of the first brands to work with OpenAI to build an integrated plug-in for ChatGPT.

OpenAI's Brad Lightcap added:

"Klarna is at the very forefront among our partners in AI adoption and practical application.

“Together we are unlocking the vast potential for AI to boost productivity and improve our day-to-day lives."

Lead image via Klarna