IBM plans to leverage artificial intelligence within its workforce.
Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM, told Bloomberg that the company plans to pause or slow hiring in back-office jobs, including in departments like human resources. He believes many of the duties a person in those roles take on will be able to be completed by artificial intelligence in the coming years.
“I could easily see 30% of that getting replaced by AI and automation over a five-year period," Krishna told the publication.
Krishna added that the reduction in human staff would amount to about 7,800 employees.
IBM is one of the largest employers in the U.S. with about 280,000 employees, according to Forbes.
SEE MORE: Musk, tech leaders call for pause on 'out-of-control' AI race
Replacing human workers with AI is a fear as the technology evolves and improves.
A petition signed by top tech experts, including Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, calls for a temporary six-month pause in AI development.
The petition poses the question: "Should we automate away all the jobs, including the fulfilling ones?"
More than 27,000 people have signed the letter since March.
However, AI development shows no signs of stopping. In addition to OpenAI's recent release of its GPT-4 technology, Microsoft and Google have unveiled similar AI-powered chatbots.
Social media is also getting in on the chatbot craze. Snapchat launched its chatbot last month.
SEE MORE: US regulators plan to go after harmful AI business practices
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