Why these startup CEOs don’t think AI will replace human roles

As AI companies grow in valuation and adoption, debate continues over how much AI will replace humans across different jobs. Some studies suggest that roles where AI can automate most tasks will face disruption. At the same time, other analysts argue that AI could also create new jobs and that any displacement may be temporary or transitional.

David Shim, CEO of meeting notetaker and intelligence company Read AI, said at Web Summit Qatar earlier this month that even as AI tools expand, it will still be humans who decide what actions to take, and that decision-making role will remain essential. He compared the shift to how drivers once relied on paper maps and now rely on navigation apps.

"I think there's always going to be a human in the middle," Shim said. "I think the job is going to get easier over time. But a good example would be like driving a car. When we first started, you had a map. And you'd pull out the map. And you'd go in and say, "Okay, I'm driving. I'm deciding what happens. Now everyone uses Waze or Google Maps, and the app tells you where to go. And you're just following that order. But you're the human in the middle who can decide what happens."

Shim acknowledged AI will affect jobs, pointing to advertising agencies as an example where automated tools could replace certain human roles. But he added that tech platforms will still require people to oversee the automation process and manage its use.

Abdullah Asiri, founder of AI-powered consumer support tooling startup Lucidya, said he believes AI will replace tasks rather than entire roles. He explained that when Lucidya's customers adopt its software, many support agents shift into different responsibilities. Some move into supervisor roles overseeing other humans and AI systems, while others focus more on relationship-building and business development using the time they save.

Read AI's Shim also noted that meeting notetakers have already reduced the need for humans to manually capture notes.

"Nobody here wants to sit down and take meeting notes, but as you start to take away that job, you have a little bit more time to do other things that you can go and focus on. You can send that report a little bit faster, or you can respond to a customer and actually have better context to make better decisions, versus spending a bunch of time gathering all the information and having little time to make a decision," he said.

AI's internal use and hiring

As companies like Read AI and Lucidya increasingly rely on AI tools internally, both are aiming to keep their teams lean. Read AI's customer service team currently has five people supporting millions of monthly users. Shim said AI tools help a small team work more efficiently and provide more context, enabling them to resolve issues faster.

Both companies say they are seeing productivity gains. Read AI said its sales tool can predict deal status using data from CRM platforms such as HubSpot and Salesforce, and that the company has approved deals worth $200 million through that system. Shim also said Read AI captures 23% more context with each update, which can be used to evaluate what worked or what did not during lead calls.

Lucidya's Asiri said his companyalso uses AI tools, including Read AI for meetings and for creating marketing assets. He said Lucidya wants "scale outcomes without scaling headcounts."

"The goal for any company is to hire people who are AI native, who are very strong with AI, but we need to be realistic," Asiri said. "Today, this skill is being developed. You cannot find a lot of people who have very strong AI capabilities, not building AI, but using AI."

Asiri added that candidates who can build agents that help them do their jobs would be especially valuable hires.

Handling customer perception of AI

Shim said that only a few years ago, many people were hesitant about AI notetakers in meetings and questioned why a bot was on a call. But now, he said, people have become more comfortable with notetakers as long as they are given controls around recording.

Asiri said Lucidya tells users when voice AI is being used in communications. He added that customers care more about getting their issues resolved than whether a bot or a human handled the interaction.

"It's all about resolving issues and finding customers' problems and resolving them," Asiri said. "As long as the AI agents are actually focusing on that part, customers are happy that their issues are being resolved. The customer really doesn't care whether it's fixed by AI or a human, as long as it's fixed fast and accurately."