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klarna to Balance AI efficiency with “Human Connection” in Customer Service
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Buy-now-pay-later firm adjusts strategy to ensure customers can always speak to a real person.
By Alice Jones | LONDON – 2025/06/05 07:55:24
Despite recent moves to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into its operations, Klarna will continue to offer customers the option of human interaction, according to CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski.
Speaking at SXSW London,Siemiatkowski addressed the company’s strategy regarding AI and its impact on employment. This comes after reports of Klarna’s shift towards incorporating human workers, a change from its earlier focus on replacing roles with AI, as reported by TechCrunch.
AI to Handle Repetitive Tasks, humans for Complex Issues
“we can use AI to automatically take away boring jobs, things that are manual work, but we are also going to promise our customers to have a human connection,” Siemiatkowski stated.
“We can use AI to automatically take away boring jobs… but we are also going to promise our customers to have a human connection.”
Siemiatkowski noted that AI agents have contributed to reduced customer support costs,leading to a decrease in Klarna’s workforce from 5,500 to 3,000 over the past two years. He also mentioned that while engineering positions have seen fewer reductions, this trend might change as more business professionals, including himself, learn to code, utilizing tools like ChatGPT.
Siemiatkowski also discussed Klarna’s “always human” initiative, launched alongside the company’s increasing adoption of AI. Through posts on X (formerly Twitter), he explained that this initiative allows employees to dedicate more time to assisting customers with complex issues and providing a more personalized support experience.
He emphasized that this approach also reduces Klarna’s reliance on outsourcing. In response to a question about departments experiencing increased hiring due to AI, Siemiatkowski highlighted “Sales and ‘always human’, everything customer facing.”
Reports from May indicated that Klarna was reevaluating its AI-driven cost-cutting measures and initiating a hiring campaign to ensure customers always have access to human customer service representatives.
“From a brand viewpoint, a company perspective, I just think it’s so critical that you are clear to your customer that there will always be a human if you want,” Siemiatkowski told Bloomberg.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Klarna focusing on human customer service again?
Klarna is re-emphasizing human customer service to ensure customers always have the option to speak with a real person, balancing AI efficiency with personalized support.
How has AI impacted Klarna’s workforce?
AI implementation has led to a reduction in Klarna’s workforce from 5,500 to 3,000 over the past two years, primarily in customer support roles.
What is Klarna’s “always human” initiative?
The “always human” initiative aims to allow Klarna employees to dedicate more time to assisting customers with complex issues, providing a more personalized support experience and reducing reliance on outsourcing.
