IKEA deployed an AI chatbot, making 8,500 jobs obsolete
Nobody was fired.
In 2021, IKEA rolled out a customer service chatbot called Billie.
Over two years, Billie handled 47% of customer requests.
The company now had 8,500 support agents with very little left to do.
Most companies would have taken the savings and moved on.
IKEA leadership didn't.
These agents knew the products, had years of customer instinct, and already understood what people struggled with at home.
IKEA retrained them as interior design advisors.
They helped customers design their living rooms, kitchens, and home offices over phone and video.
That remote design service grew to €1.3 billion.
A business that barely existed before the chatbot.
Most companies stop at the savings.
IKEA asked what comes after.
That question was worth €1.3 billion.
Your AI strategy says more about your leadership than your technology.
Source: IKEA bets on remote interior design as AI changes sales strategy, Reuters, 13 June 2023
See also: How serious is your company about AI?
First published on LinkedIn on March 31, 2026. View the original post