AI can do all our jobs, including mine: Klarna's CEO
What's the story
Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski believes artificial intelligence (AI) can already do his job. In a recent post on X, the buy-now, pay-later firm's co-founder wrote "AI is capable of doing all our jobs, my own included." Siemiatkowski's statement comes from the advanced reasoning capabilities AI has developed over the years. However, he confessed to being unsettled by the prospect since his work is personal to him.
Reasoning revolution
AI's problem-solving capabilities: A double-edged sword
Siemiatkowski emphasized that AI already knows how to solve simple problems with basic reasoning. He proposed that even complex problems can be broken down into smaller tasks for AI to solve. However, he admitted that he doesn't know how these "building blocks of reason and knowledge" will be utilized to replicate human work in the future. This isn't the first time he has raised concerns over AI's impact on traditional job roles.
Twitter Post
Take a look at Siemiatkowski post
I realize my statements on “AI can already do all our jobs” caused quite a stirr.
— Sebastian Siemiatkowski (@klarnaseb) January 6, 2025
So let me explain and expand what I mean.
In my opinion the major breakthrough of AI is a computer with “reasoning” capabilities. This has basically been achieved already.
Not if you present AI…
Tech transition
Klarna's AI adoption and workforce implications
Klarna has already integrated AI into its operations. In February last year, the company reported its AI assistant was doing work equivalent to 700 full-time human agents. Siemiatkowski has been vocal about the impact of this integration on the company's workforce. In another X post back in August 2024, he stated "AI allows us to be fewer in total." Same year, in October, he revealed on the "Grit" podcast that Klarna had reduced hiring due to AI implementation.
Upcoming ventures
Future plans amid AI integration
Despite the workforce implications, Siemiatkowski clarified that Klarna still hires some engineers. The company is also gearing up for an initial public offering (IPO) in the US. Back in November, it announced that it had confidentially submitted draft registration documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).