IBM CEO Arvind Krishna says the company could replace 30% of its back-office roles with AI and is pausing hiring to give time for it to work out.

AI is quickly maturing and is poised to automate many tasks and jobs. In an interview with Bloomberg, Krishna says he believes that many back-office roles are prime opportunities for AI.

“I could easily see 30% of that getting replaced by AI and automation over a five-year period,” he said.

As a result, IBM is pausing hiring for these roles. Bloomberg estimates these back-office roles number roughly 26,000, meaning some 7,800 could be replaced with AI, one of the biggest AI-based workplace shifts in the industry.