This CEO just roasted the workers he fired and replaced with ChatGPT
If there is no humanity at work then there is no humanity. And even CEO's can be automated these days, so he should beware.
Key takeaways
- Strikingly, Shah is now roasting his former human workers, saying the bot simply does a much better job than they did, and at a fraction of the price.
- Ever since AI chatbots exploded onto the scene late last year companies have increasingly been looking for ways to cut costs using the tech.
- Parts of the world, particularly India and the Philippines, could soon be hit with a tidal wave of job losses as companies turn to chatbots instead of human workers.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2023) 'This CEO just roasted the workers he fired and replaced with ChatGPT', 311 Institute, 15 September. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/this-ceo-just-roasted-the-workers-he-fired-and-replaced-with-chatgpt/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Earlier this year, Suumit Shah, a 31-year-old CEO of an Indian e-commerce platform called Dukaan, fired the vast majority of the humans making up his company's customer service team — and replaced them with an in-house chatbot powered by OpenAI's ChatGPT. Although he too might need to be cautious about automation as it goes after the CEO's seat ...
Strikingly, Shah is now roasting his former human workers, saying the bot simply does a much better job than they did, and at a fraction of the price.
"It was [a] no-brainer for me to replace the entire team with a bot," he told the Washington Post, "which is like 100 times smarter, who is instant, and who cost me like 100th of what I used to pay to the support team."
It's an unusually brazen approach to replacing human labor with Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots, a dystopian future that's seemingly creeping ever closer as other companies such as BT and IBM follow the same path. Instead of making vague promises about AI changing how we work, as many AI purveyors have, Shah has chosen the scorched Earth approach — and it's entirely possible other entrepreneurs will follow suit, if they haven't already.
Ever since AI chatbots exploded onto the scene late last year companies have increasingly been looking for ways to cut costs using the tech. That could come down hard on call centers, as WaPo points out. Parts of the world, particularly India and the Philippines, could soon be hit with a tidal wave of job losses as companies turn to chatbots instead of human workers.
"You will end up seeing a lot of jobs be eviscerated," Sharad Sharma, co-founder of the non-profit iSPIRT Foundation, told the newspaper. "And the fewer jobs that will remain will be different kinds of jobs."
Earlier this year, Filipino senator Imee Marcos warned in a statement that "AI is developing faster than most people can comprehend and is threatening to take away jobs and turn employment growth upside down."
Meanwhile, Shah is sticking to his guns and has since developed a new product designed to help other companies transition to using chatbots instead of humans.
Reckless evisceration of human livelihoods — or a meaningful boost to productivity? Unless we figure out a way for displaced workers to survive, the future isn’t looking bright for some.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
If there is no humanity at work then there is no humanity. And even CEO's can be automated these days, so he should beware.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- told the Washington Post washingtonpost.com
- warned in a statement pna.gov.ph
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 15 September 2023. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2023). This CEO just roasted the workers he fired and replaced with ChatGPT. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/this-ceo-just-roasted-the-workers-he-fired-and-replaced-with-chatgpt/
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