Ikea’s AI chatbot boosted sales and kept staff by retraining them

Ikea introduced an AI-powered customer service chatbot called Billie five years ago, and today it resolves about 75% of incoming queries. Rather than eliminating the call-center workforce that the bot partially supplanted, the retailer invested in reskilling those employees, converting the operation into its most rapidly expanding sales channel with year-on-year growth of 15% to 20% over the past three years. The outcome is being used to illustrate a broader narrative that AI reshapes jobs without causing mass layoffs, a view shared by leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon who anticipate overall employment gains.

The World Economic Forum projects that while 92 million jobs may be displaced by AI and demographic trends by 2030, up to 170 million new positions could arise if companies prioritize upskilling. At a recent CFO dinner co-hosted with IBM, finance chiefs expressed interest in leveraging AI for productivity and growth, noting the need to overcome employee fears of replacement. Ikea’s case provides concrete data that AI can drive both efficiency and revenue when paired with workforce development. The story underscores the importance of proactive training strategies as AI adoption accelerates across industries.