The Swedish buy-now-pay-later company Klarna has been using generative artificial intelligence to create promotional images, tailor marketing copy, and improve customer service. The company has seen significant cost savings and increased profits as a result of implementing AI into its business operations. Klarna’s success highlights the potential benefits of AI for powering businesswide systems, like customer service, and helping individual workers with their daily tasks.
In the United States, businesses are also investing in AI to improve efficiency and productivity. While AI tools have been successful in saving time for workers by automating certain tasks, they have not yet had a significant impact on the overall business. For example, AI can help computer coders work faster or assist human resources professionals in answering colleagues’ questions about benefits. However, for companies to fully realize the benefits of AI, they need to be willing to have AI systems access sensitive data and interact with customers on their behalf.
Some companies, like Etsy, have faced challenges when implementing AI systems that interact with customers. Etsy’s CEO, Josh Silverman, mentioned that customers did not respond well to being defaulted into a chatbot experience, leading to a decrease in sales. As a result, Etsy made the chatbot interaction optional for customers, but it may still be impacting their overall business performance. This highlights the importance of understanding customer preferences and balancing the use of AI to enhance customer service without negatively affecting sales.
Despite the potential benefits of AI, many workers are concerned about the impact of AI on job quality and quantity. Surveys have shown that a majority of Americans are anxious about AI reducing job opportunities. Workers want their organizations to communicate with them about how AI is being used and its impact on their roles. They also want to be trained on new AI tools and be involved in determining how AI can be used effectively in their work.
Overall, the success of companies like Klarna in utilizing AI to improve business operations demonstrates the potential benefits of AI for increasing efficiency and profitability. However, companies need to carefully consider how AI is implemented to ensure that it enhances customer service without negatively impacting sales. Additionally, addressing workers’ concerns about the impact of AI on their roles and providing training and communication about AI’s use are essential for successful implementation in the workplace.
