An Indian CEO has been criticized for saying that artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots had replaced 90% of his firm’s support staff.

The founder of Dukaan, Suumit Shah, said on Twitter that the chatbot had dramatically improved first response and resolution times for customers.

On social media, the tweet sparked outrage.

The news comes at a time when there has been much discussion and concern about artificial intelligence taking away jobs, particularly in the services sector.

Mr Shah wrote about his firm’s decision to use a chatbot in a series of tweets that have over one million views. Laying off staff had been a “tough” decision, but it was “necessary”.

According to him, start-ups are focusing on profitability rather than striving to become unicorns due to the current economic climate. In addition, Mr Shah said that customer support had been a struggle for the firm for a long time and that he was looking to make it better.

Additionally, he described how they built the bot and AI platform in a short period of time so that all of Dukaan’s customers could have their own AI assistant. Using the bot, he said, he was able to answer all types of questions quickly and accurately.

Launching a business is no longer a distant dream in the age of instant gratification, he wrote. Anyone can realize their entrepreneurial dreams with the right idea and the right team.”

Additionally, Mr Shah said the firm was hiring for multiple positions.

His tweets were, however, criticized by many users for disrupting the lives of his staff in this “heartless” move.

As expected, there is no mention of the 90% of staff that were laid off. What assistance was provided to them?” asked one user.

One user commented, “It may have been the right decision, but it shouldn’t have become a celebration/marketing thread.”.

Shah responded to one tweet saying “as expected, someone will get offended on behalf of someone else” and that he would post about staff assistance on LinkedIn, as people are searching for “profitability and not sympathy” on Twitter.

A growing number of generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, are becoming more accessible in recent years. Organisations have reported using these tools to increase productivity and reduce costs. As a result, workers are concerned about losing their jobs to technology.

AI could replace the equivalent of 300 million full-time jobs, according to a report published by Goldman Sachs in March. There have been concerns about job losses in India due to several firms investing in AI to develop products.