Klarna says 85% of staff use generative AI

Klarna, the Swedish financial technology company, revealed on Tuesday that almost 9 out of 10 employees among its 5,000-strong workforce now utilise generative artificial intelligence tools as part of their daily tasks.

The company, known for its service enabling individuals to split purchases into interest-free monthly instalments, disclosed that over 87% of its staff are employing generative AI tools, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Klarna’s proprietary internal AI assistant.

The primary users of generative AI within Klarna are found in non-technical departments, particularly in communications (92.6%), marketing (87.9%), and legal (86.4%), according to the company’s statement.

Klarna’s adoption rate of generative AI surpasses the broader corporate landscape significantly. While Deloitte’s survey indicates that 61% of computer users utilise generative AI tools in their daily work, Klarna’s utilisation rates are notably higher.

Klarna’s internal AI assistant, Kiki, is now utilised by 85% of all employees, responding to an average of 2,000 queries per day.

One of the key applications of generative AI within Klarna is observed in its communications teams, which use OpenAI’s ChatGPT to assess the sentiment of press articles about the company.

Additionally, Klarna’s legal department leverages ChatGPT Enterprise to draft initial versions of common contract types, significantly reducing the time required for contract drafting.

Selma Bogren, senior managing legal counsel at Klarna, emphasised the efficiency gains, stating that drafting a contract now takes approximately ten minutes instead of an hour.

Klarna has been emphasising the impact of AI on its financial performance, particularly following the economic challenges it faced in 2022, including layoffs and a decrease in valuation.

The company attributes its first quarterly profit in four years, reported in the September quarter, to reduced credit losses and investments in AI technology.

In February, Klarna announced that its AI chatbot replaced the equivalent of 700 full-time customer service jobs, resulting in $40 million in savings.

This news led to a nearly 20% decline in shares of French outsourcing company Teleperformance, as investors expressed concerns about AI potentially disrupting the call centre industry in the future.