AI startup CEOs: AI will replace tasks, not jobs

AI will replace tasks, not jobs, CEOs say

AI startup CEOs argue the technology will augment human workers rather than replace them entirely. They believe AI will eliminate specific tasks, freeing employees for higher-value work.

“I think there’s always going to be a human in the middle,” said David Shim, CEO of meeting intelligence company Read AI. He spoke to TechCrunch at Web Summit Qatar earlier this month.

The human is still the driver

Shim compared AI to modern GPS navigation. “When we first started, you used to have a map... Now everyone uses Waze or Google Maps, and the map is telling you where to go,” he said. “But you’re the human in the middle who can decide what happens.”

He acknowledged AI will affect jobs, citing advertising agencies that may lose roles to automation. However, he stressed that tech platforms will still need humans to oversee these automated processes.

Freeing up time for new responsibilities

Abdullah Asiri, founder of consumer support startup Lucidya, said AI replaces tasks, not roles. He explained that when his clients use Lucidya, customer support agents often shift to new duties.

“Some become supervisors who guide other humans and AI, while some take up relationship-building and business development responsibilities using the time they saved,” Asiri said.

Shim gave the example of automated meeting notetakers. “Nobody here wants to sit down and take meeting notes,” he said. Removing that task gives people “more time to do other things,” like sending reports faster or making better-informed decisions for customers.

AI enables lean, productive teams

Companies like Read AI and Lucidya are using AI to operate with small, highly productive teams. Read AI’s entire customer service team is just five people, serving millions of monthly users.

Shim said AI tools provide context to help that small team work more quickly. The companies report significant productivity gains:

• Read AI’s sales tool predicts deal states using CRM data. The startup said deals worth $200 million have been approved through its system.
• Read AI captures 23% more context with each sales update, which helps evaluate what worked on lead calls.
• Lucidya uses AI tools, including Read AI, for meetings and marketing. Founder Abdullah Asiri said the goal is to “scale outcomes without scaling headcounts.”

The hunt for AI-native talent

The push for productivity is changing hiring priorities. Companies now seek employees who are proficient at using AI, not just building it.

“The goal for any company is to hire people who are AI native,” Asiri said. He admitted this skill is still developing and such people are currently hard to find. “You cannot find a lot of people who have very strong AI capabilities, not building AI, but using AI.”

Shim noted that people who can build AI agents to assist with their own jobs will be particularly desirable.

User acceptance is growing

Attitudes toward AI tools in the workplace are shifting. Shim recalled that just a few years ago, people were hesitant to have an AI notetaker in meetings. “Now people are more receptive to notetakers as long as you give them controls around recording,” he said.

For customer service, Asiri said resolution is what matters most. Lucidya discloses when a voice AI is handling a call.

“It’s all about resolving issues,” Asiri said. “The customer really doesn’t care whether it’s fixed by AI or a human, as long as it’s fixed fast and accurately.”