Klarna revealed that its AI assistant is performing tasks equivalent to those of 700 full-time agents. In a recent blog post, the fintech company announced that its OpenAI-powered assistant had conducted 2.3 million conversations since its launch a month ago. 

Klarna asserted that the chatbot exhibited higher accuracy in "errand resolution" and matched human agents in terms of customer satisfaction. Additionally, the company estimated that the technology would lead to a $40 million profit improvement in 2024. 

Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski demonstrated a strong interest in AI, stating in an interview with The Telegraph late last year that the Swedish fintech company is no longer hiring beyond its engineering department as it embraces AI. 

Siemiatkowski mentioned that the company would not be expanding its workforce and anticipates a reduction in staff due to natural attrition over time, with AI expected to compensate for the loss. 

Although Siemiatkowski stated that there are no plans for further layoffs, Klarna had previously let go of 700 employees in 2022. The company received criticism for implementing a 10% workforce reduction, which affected 700 employees. 

To convey this news, CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski opted for a pre-recorded video message addressed to the affected staff members.

Gergely Orosz, a software engineer and author of The Pragmatic Engineer newsletter, expressed scepticism about Klarna's AI assistant after testing it out. In a post on X, he described the experience as "underwhelming," noting that the assistant simply recited information from documents and quickly transferred him to human support.