Per Reuters

IBM Corp. anticipates a temporary halt in hiring for certain positions as approximately 7,800 jobs may be supplanted by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the near future, according to CEO Arvind Krishna in an interview with Bloomberg News on Monday.

Krishna explained that hiring for back-office functions, including human resources, is likely to be either halted or slowed down. He further noted that AI and automation technologies have the potential to replace around 30% of roles that do not involve direct interaction with customers within the next five years.

Krishna's remarks come at a time when AI has captured global interest, particularly following the launch of OpenAI's chatbot, ChatGPT, in November of the previous year. The chatbot, which gained widespread popularity, is backed by Microsoft Corp.

IBM also indicated to the publication that the workforce reduction could involve not filling positions left vacant due to employee turnover.