IBM CEO Arvind Krishna has revealed that AI agents have already replaced several hundred human resources roles at the company—but emphasized that overall employment at IBM has increased. The shift comes as the tech giant redirects resources toward functions requiring critical thinking, such as software engineering, sales, and marketing.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal ahead of IBM’s annual Think conference in Boston, Krishna explained that while AI and automation streamline repetitive enterprise tasks, they also enable reinvestment in higher-value roles. “It gives you more investment to put into other areas,” he said.
IBM recently introduced services that allow businesses to build and manage their own AI agents, complementing tools offered by Amazon, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Nvidia. These services are designed to integrate with other vendors’ tools and prioritize flexibility, echoing IBM’s cloud-agnostic approach.
Krishna also noted that IBM has booked $6 billion in consulting contracts related to generative AI, underscoring the company’s pivot to enabling digital transformation. Despite macroeconomic uncertainties and potential tariff impacts, IBM remains confident, planning to invest $150 billion in the U.S. over the next five years.
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