Swedish payment provider Klarna has announced that its AI assistant, powered by OpenAI, handled two-thirds of all customer service chats in just one month.
According to Klarna, the AI handled 2.3 million conversations in that time, which is reportedly equivalent to the work of 700 full-time employees.
Customer satisfaction is on par with human agents, but the error rate in resolving queries has actually declined by 25 percent.
In addition, customers can now resolve their issues in less than two minutes, compared to eleven minutes previously.
The AI assistant is available in 23 markets, is available 24/7, and supports more than 35 languages. It handles tasks ranging from multilingual customer service to managing refunds and returns. Klarna plans to add more features in the near future.
The AI assistant has also improved communication with local immigrant and expat communities in all markets by supporting multiple languages, according to Klarna. Customers can still interact with live agents if they prefer.
Klarna CEO warns of AI's impact on job market
Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski discusses the results on X, saying that they raise the question of AI's impact on society. In Klarna's case, the AI agent is not directly leading to layoffs, as the company has outsourced its customer service.
"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," Siemiatkowski wrote.
Klarna estimates that the assistant will add $40 million to its profits by 2024.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that AI could affect up to 40 percent of jobs worldwide, and up to 60 percent in advanced economies. However, the impact could not necessarily be a loss of jobs, but also a change in job roles and the quality of work, as the OECD points out.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, expects the impact of AI on the job market to be rapid. But he is optimistic that humanity will adapt and create "different ways to find fulfillment."
