Marcelo Lebre, co-founder and president of Remote, said that the trend of making AI agents seem more human is not helpful.
At Web Summit 2025, Lebre said AI is still far from being truly smart. “AI works by taking in information and giving out a response. It’s not intelligent - it’s just copying,” he explained.
Lebre pointed out that today’s AI systems let companies get ten times more done with the same amount of resources.
However, these systems still don’t have common sense — especially in areas like HR, where understanding people and making good judgments are important. He gave an example: an AI might say no to an emergency leave request just because it breaks the rules, without considering the real situation.
Even though AI is becoming more important, Remote is still focused on helping HR teams, not replacing them.
Lebre said the company is still fully remote and didn’t plan to join Lisbon’s group of fast-growing startups. “Flexibility isn’t a new idea,” he said. “What really matters is how you work, not where.”
Related News