Artificial intelligence IAI) may be helping businesses improve their operations, but it is also taking a toll on several jobs. Such as in IBM.
IBM’s CEO Arvind Krishna announced earlier this month that the company is planning to pause hiring and replace 7,800 human jobs, according to the news previously reported here on PVP Live. Now, the number has climbed to nearly 8,000, and Krishna said the first to go are those in the human resources (HR) sector.
HR professionals first to bid goodbye
According to new reports, Krishna stated that IBM is looking at replacing almost 8,000 jobs with AI, and the first to go are back-office functions, particularly the HR department.
This decision is reflective of more businesses that are increasingly becoming dependent on automation and AI. As a result, this is negatively impacting the human workforce.
This transition in IBM will reportedly happen gradually over the next few years, with AI potentially replacing 30 percent of non-customer-facing job roles in the next five years.
HR professionals will be the first to be impacted by the takeover of algorithms and robots, followed by those in the finance and accounting departments.
Is Krishna contradicting himself?
This is not the first time IBM has made headlines about laying off workers due to AI. Earlier this year, the company also announced it is slashing 3,900 jobs to give way to implementing automation and cutting costs within the company.
And, no other than the White House is giving encouragement in favor of AI. The White House released a report last December, saying that it is “inevitable” AI will displace some employees.
Moreover, IBM is not the only major tech company to downsize its workforce. Meta, Twitter, Microsoft, and Amazon also announced massive layoffs due to the spread of AI.
Also, on an interesting note, is Krishna contradicting himself? This is because a news report published in the business magazine Fortune says that the IBM CEO is soothing nerves about AI stealing jobs by pointing to the declining working-age populations as a reason.
Given this decline, as witnessed in developing economies globally, he said having humans do routine tasks that AI could do is “not an option.”
$150 million pledge for quantum computing
Meanwhile, in other recent news about IBM, the Big Blue, and Google are committing a staggering $150 million for quantum computing research at the University of Chicago and the University of Tokyo. This move is part of the efforts of the United States and Japan to keep up with the fast-rising China.
But the amount is actually shared. IBM’s pledge is $100 million, while Google’s, in turn, is $50 million.
Aside from financial resources, the recipients will also get access to quantum computing hardware, thanks to Google.
