Klarna’s rapid pivot to AI-driven customer service sparked industry headlines, with 700 roles reportedly replaced by an OpenAI-powered assistant that now handles two-thirds of the company’s customer chats. One of our co-founders, Kate Ross, explored this topic in depth in a piece written for Performance Marketing World, highlighting the delicate balance between acting fast and thinking first when it comes to AI.
As Kate noted, “It’s clear that Klarna saw an opportunity to differentiate early by using OpenAI’s tech in a big, brave way. But the result feels like a cautionary tale: a brand too quick to make a statement before establishing the facts, and now trying to reframe them.”
The company’s initial framing of the rollout raised questions—particularly around the role of communications. Kate wrote, “It’s not uncommon for business units to launch new tools at pace, while the comms team is left to piece together the narrative in real time. The gap between action and articulation widens—and the audience is left to join the dots.”
She captured the risk clearly: “If your AI output sounds more automated than considered, your audience will see it as style over substance.”
The takeaway for brands navigating AI? Technology may move fast, but messaging needs to move with equal clarity and care. Speed can be powerful—but not at the cost of credibility.
Read the full article here.
