[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"nav-categories":3,"article-ikea-keeps-the-human-face-in-the-age-of-ai-how-chatbot-billie-created-more-creative-jobs-and-1-3-billion-in-new-revenue":70},{"data":4},[5,37,57,64],{"name":6,"slug":7,"categories":8},"Productivity","productivity",[9,13,17,21,25,29,33],{"id":10,"title":11,"slug":12},17,"Branding","branding",{"id":14,"title":15,"slug":16},19,"Marketing","marketing",{"id":18,"title":19,"slug":20},20,"Work","work",{"id":22,"title":23,"slug":24},34,"Community","community",{"id":26,"title":27,"slug":28},21,"For newbies","for-newbies",{"id":30,"title":31,"slug":32},24,"Investment","investment",{"id":34,"title":35,"slug":36},22,"Finance","finance",{"name":38,"slug":39,"categories":40},"Tech","tech",[41,45,49,53],{"id":42,"title":43,"slug":44},28,"Technology","technology",{"id":46,"title":47,"slug":48},32,"Artificial Intelligence","artificial-intelligence",{"id":50,"title":51,"slug":52},26,"Security and protection","security-and-protection",{"id":54,"title":55,"slug":56},31,"YouTube Blog","youtube-blog",{"name":58,"slug":59,"categories":60},"News","news",[61],{"id":62,"title":58,"slug":63},18,"quasanews",{"name":65,"slug":66,"categories":67},"Business","business",[68],{"id":69,"title":65,"slug":66},16,{"post":71,"published_news":97,"popular_news":154,"categories":224},{"title":72,"description":73,"meta_title":72,"meta_description":74,"meta_keywords":75,"text":76,"slug":77,"created_at":78,"publish_at":79,"formatted_created_at":80,"category_id":69,"links":81,"view_type":86,"video_url":87,"views":88,"likes":89,"lang":90,"comments_count":89,"category":91},"Ikea Keeps the Human Face in the Age of AI: How Chatbot Billie Created More Creative Jobs — and $1.3 Billion in New Revenue","In an industry where many companies are racing to replace customer-service staff with AI, Swedish furniture giant Ikea has taken the opposite path.","In an industry where many companies are racing to replace customer-service staff with AI, Swedish furniture giant Ikea has taken the opposite path","By using Billie as a tireless assistant rather than a replacement, the company has preserved what customers have always loved most about Ikea: the feeling that someone actually cares.","\u003Cp>In an industry where many companies are racing to replace customer-service staff with AI, Swedish furniture giant Ikea has taken the opposite path. Its conversational AI assistant, Billie, was never designed to eliminate human jobs. Instead, it was built to handle the most repetitive, soul-crushing tasks — freeing employees to do work that actually requires creativity, empathy, and emotional intelligence.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cpicture>\u003Csource srcset=\"https://cdn.quasa.io/photos/0001/photo_2026-04-19_16-11-50.webp\" type=\"image/webp\">\u003Cimg alt=\"Ikea Keeps the Human Face in the Age of AI: How Chatbot Billie Created More Creative Jobs — and <img.3 Billion in New Revenue\" class=\"image-align-left\" height=\"156\" src=\"https://cdn.quasa.io/photos/0001/photo_2026-04-19_16-11-50.jpg\" width=\"300\" />\u003C/picture>The numbers speak for themselves. Billie now manages 57 % of the simplest and most frequent customer inquiries: order status checks, store opening hours, delivery windows, and basic product availability.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>These are the questions that once tied up call-center agents and in-store staff for hours every day. By taking them off the table, Billie has given Ikea’s human teams something priceless — time.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cpicture>\u003Csource srcset=\"https://cdn.quasa.io/photos/0001/image-2026-04-19t163111012.webp\" type=\"image/webp\">\u003Cimg alt=\"Ikea Keeps the Human Face in the Age of AI: How Chatbot Billie Created More Creative Jobs — and <img.3 Billion in New Revenue\" class=\"image-align-right\" height=\"298\" src=\"https://cdn.quasa.io/photos/0001/image-2026-04-19t163111012.jpg\" width=\"200\" />\u003C/picture>But the real story isn’t just efficiency. It’s what happened when the company discovered the limits of its own AI.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>During the rollout, developers quickly noticed that Billie excelled at factual, transactional conversations but stumbled badly when customers wanted something deeper. Questions like “How do I make my tiny apartment feel warm and inviting?” or “Can you help me design a living room that feels like me?” left the chatbot flat-footed. It could suggest products, but it couldn’t read emotion, understand personal taste, or offer the kind of soulful advice that turns a house into a home.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>Instead of doubling down on AI and trying to force it to fake empathy, Ikea made a radically human decision: they retrained the very employees whose routine work Billie had taken over.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cpicture>\u003Csource srcset=\"https://cdn.quasa.io/photos/0001/image-2026-04-19t163107494.webp\" type=\"image/webp\">\u003Cimg alt=\"Ikea Keeps the Human Face in the Age of AI: How Chatbot Billie Created More Creative Jobs — and <img.3 Billion in New Revenue\" class=\"image-align-left\" height=\"298\" src=\"https://cdn.quasa.io/photos/0001/image-2026-04-19t163107494.jpg\" width=\"200\" />\u003C/picture>The company shifted hundreds of former customer-service specialists into a new role — remote interior design consultants. These “flesh-and-blood” experts now offer paid virtual consultations focused on creating coziness, personal style, and emotional connection with the space. Customers book 30- or 60-minute video sessions where a real person listens, asks questions, and co-creates room designs using Ikea’s full catalog.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>The results have been extraordinary.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>In its first full year, the new remote design consultation service generated approximately $1.3 billion in additional revenue. More importantly, conversion rates soared. Customers who received human-guided design sessions were significantly more likely to complete larger purchases because they felt confident, inspired, and emotionally invested in the outcome.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>When a living expert helps you imagine your future kitchen or bedroom “with soul,” you don’t just buy a sofa — you invest in a vision.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cpicture>\u003Csource srcset=\"https://cdn.quasa.io/photos/0001/image-2026-04-19t163109529.webp\" type=\"image/webp\">\u003Cimg alt=\"Ikea Keeps the Human Face in the Age of AI: How Chatbot Billie Created More Creative Jobs — and <img.3 Billion in New Revenue\" class=\"image-align-right\" height=\"447\" src=\"https://cdn.quasa.io/photos/0001/image-2026-04-19t163109529.jpg\" width=\"300\" />\u003C/picture>This approach stands in stark contrast to the AI dystopia many fear. As futurist Brian Solis wrote in his widely read Medium essay \u003Cstrong>The Real Threat of AI Is What Your Competitors Will Become With It\u003C/strong>, the biggest danger isn’t that AI will take your job — it’s that your competitors will use AI to become something cold, impersonal, and ultimately forgettable. Ikea has refused to go down that road.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>By using Billie as a tireless assistant rather than a replacement, the company has preserved what customers have always loved most about Ikea: the feeling that someone actually cares. The brand’s famous tagline — “To create a better everyday life for the many people” — now extends to its own workforce. Employees aren’t being automated out of existence; they’re being upgraded into higher-value, more fulfilling roles.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>In an era when many retailers are turning their customer experience into a series of algorithm-driven chat windows, Ikea has doubled down on humanity. The chatbot handles the boring stuff. The humans handle the heart.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>And the bottom line proves the strategy works: happier customers, more creative employees, and a very healthy $1.3 billion boost to the business — all because Ikea chose to keep its human face firmly in place, even as it embraced AI.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>Also read:\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cul>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/the-generative-music-wars-heat-up-while-musicians-fight-ai-new-platforms-are-thriving\">The Generative Music Wars Heat Up: While Musicians Fight AI, New Platforms Are Thriving\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/yann-lecun-s-continued-crusade-why-llms-are-not-the-path-to-human-level-intelligence\">Yann LeCun’s Continued Crusade: Why LLMs Are Not the Path to Human-Level Intelligence\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/nearly-half-of-us-college-students-are-considering-changing-their-major-because-of-ai\">Nearly Half of US College Students Are Considering Changing Their Major Because of AI\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/openclaw-is-becoming-the-chatgpt-moment-for-ai-agents-and-everyone-s-already-feeling-it\">OpenClaw Is Becoming the “ChatGPT Moment” for AI Agents — And Everyone’s Already Feeling It\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\n\u003Cp>Thank you!\u003C/p>","ikea-keeps-the-human-face-in-the-age-of-ai-how-chatbot-billie-created-more-creative-jobs-and-1-3-billion-in-new-revenue","2026-04-19T14:33:29.000000Z","2026-04-23T03:23:00.000000Z","23.04.2026",{"image":82,"image_webp":83,"thumb":84,"thumb_webp":85},"https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/kPnnP95Xkml8A4gkXzaPwD34FPO0oXCjf1rcxWxU.jpg","https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/kPnnP95Xkml8A4gkXzaPwD34FPO0oXCjf1rcxWxU.webp","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/kPnnP95Xkml8A4gkXzaPwD34FPO0oXCjf1rcxWxU.jpg","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/kPnnP95Xkml8A4gkXzaPwD34FPO0oXCjf1rcxWxU.webp","small",null,25,0,"en",{"id":69,"title":65,"slug":66,"meta_title":92,"meta_description":93,"meta_keywords":94,"deleted_at":87,"created_at":95,"updated_at":96,"lang":90},"Business Growth Hacks: AI Startups, Solo Ventures & Strategy | QUASA","Business is a battlefield. In QUASA MEDIA you will find all the most useful articles on how to do business and not screw up.","Business, earn money, business strategy, business process","2021-08-03T10:59:17.000000Z","2026-04-22T15:18:15.000000Z",[98,112,115,129,141],{"title":99,"description":100,"slug":101,"created_at":102,"publish_at":103,"formatted_created_at":80,"category":104,"links":105,"view_type":86,"video_url":87,"views":110,"likes":89,"lang":90,"comments_count":89,"is_pinned":111},"The Death of a VR Unicorn: Rec Room Shuts Down After 150 Million Users, $294 Million Raised, and a $3.5 Billion Valuation","After a decade of building one of the most beloved social VR platforms on the planet, Rec Room is closing its doors for good.","the-death-of-a-vr-unicorn-rec-room-shuts-down-after-150-million-users-294-million-raised-and-a-3-5-billion-valuation","2026-04-19T15:55:34.000000Z","2026-04-23T06:49:00.000000Z",{"title":65,"slug":66},{"image":106,"image_webp":107,"thumb":108,"thumb_webp":109},"https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/AJj9CTvP0kh4rWQeTWBUNuEH7ZDRAAumuG3vyFxP.jpg","https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/AJj9CTvP0kh4rWQeTWBUNuEH7ZDRAAumuG3vyFxP.webp","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/AJj9CTvP0kh4rWQeTWBUNuEH7ZDRAAumuG3vyFxP.jpg","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/AJj9CTvP0kh4rWQeTWBUNuEH7ZDRAAumuG3vyFxP.webp",8,false,{"title":72,"description":73,"slug":77,"created_at":78,"publish_at":79,"formatted_created_at":80,"category":113,"links":114,"view_type":86,"video_url":87,"views":88,"likes":89,"lang":90,"comments_count":89,"is_pinned":111},{"title":65,"slug":66},{"image":82,"image_webp":83,"thumb":84,"thumb_webp":85},{"title":116,"description":117,"slug":118,"created_at":119,"publish_at":119,"formatted_created_at":120,"category":121,"links":122,"view_type":127,"video_url":87,"views":128,"likes":89,"lang":90,"comments_count":89,"is_pinned":111},"How to Restore Safari and Chrome Bookmarks on Mac?","Bookmarks are an essential part of the browsing experience on your Mac. It allows you to save\nfrequently visited websites for quick access and organise important online resources. udden deletion of these\nbookmarks may put you in trouble.\nthere are several recovery methods you can try to get them back. This guide\nprovides step-by-step instructions on how to restore Safari and Chrome bookmarks","how-to-restore-safari-and-chrome-bookmarks-on-mac","2026-04-22T15:39:55.000000Z","22.04.2026",{"title":19,"slug":20},{"image":123,"image_webp":124,"thumb":125,"thumb_webp":126},"https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/hBjTWPhvzMGFz18cDvMRMg3qvogyonQmGvFvbyyl.png","https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/hBjTWPhvzMGFz18cDvMRMg3qvogyonQmGvFvbyyl.webp","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/hBjTWPhvzMGFz18cDvMRMg3qvogyonQmGvFvbyyl.png","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/hBjTWPhvzMGFz18cDvMRMg3qvogyonQmGvFvbyyl.webp","large",86,{"title":130,"description":131,"slug":132,"created_at":133,"publish_at":133,"formatted_created_at":120,"category":134,"links":135,"view_type":127,"video_url":87,"views":140,"likes":89,"lang":90,"comments_count":89,"is_pinned":111},"How Crypto APIs Handle Security, Liquidity, and Risk","Crypto APIs will operate seamlessly in the background, shouldering much of the security, liquidity, and risk burdens previously borne by fully integrated exchanges. The way APIs are designed and managed has direct implications for user funds, market integrity, and regulatory liability.","how-crypto-apis-handle-security-liquidity-and-risk","2026-04-22T14:41:47.000000Z",{"title":35,"slug":36},{"image":136,"image_webp":137,"thumb":138,"thumb_webp":139},"https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/Dq35sRK4P0SBU9YzswYaMFchvdzlCbDEXTQUsYlN.jpg","https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/Dq35sRK4P0SBU9YzswYaMFchvdzlCbDEXTQUsYlN.webp","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/Dq35sRK4P0SBU9YzswYaMFchvdzlCbDEXTQUsYlN.jpg","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/Dq35sRK4P0SBU9YzswYaMFchvdzlCbDEXTQUsYlN.webp",92,{"title":142,"description":143,"slug":144,"created_at":145,"publish_at":146,"formatted_created_at":120,"category":147,"links":148,"view_type":86,"video_url":87,"views":153,"likes":89,"lang":90,"comments_count":89,"is_pinned":111},"The Generative Music Wars Heat Up: While Musicians Fight AI, New Platforms Are Thriving","The battle over AI-generated music continues to escalate, but the battlefield is shifting.","the-generative-music-wars-heat-up-while-musicians-fight-ai-new-platforms-are-thriving","2026-04-17T18:50:34.000000Z","2026-04-22T11:41:00.000000Z",{"title":65,"slug":66},{"image":149,"image_webp":150,"thumb":151,"thumb_webp":152},"https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/e0P68JQyInirQ3jfkFJtZFk7cmztICoGAexABUfu.jpg","https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/e0P68JQyInirQ3jfkFJtZFk7cmztICoGAexABUfu.webp","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/e0P68JQyInirQ3jfkFJtZFk7cmztICoGAexABUfu.jpg","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/e0P68JQyInirQ3jfkFJtZFk7cmztICoGAexABUfu.webp",111,[155,168,183,195,210],{"title":156,"description":157,"slug":158,"created_at":159,"publish_at":160,"formatted_created_at":161,"category":162,"links":163,"view_type":86,"video_url":87,"views":166,"likes":167,"lang":90,"comments_count":89,"is_pinned":111},"The Anatomy of an Entrepreneur","Entrepreneur is a French word that means an enterpriser. Enterprisers are people who undertake a business or enterprise with the chance of earning profits or suffering from loss.","the-anatomy-of-an-entrepreneur","2021-08-04T15:18:21.000000Z","2025-12-14T06:09:00.000000Z","14.12.2025",{"title":65,"slug":66},{"image":164,"image_webp":87,"thumb":165,"thumb_webp":165},"https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/mVsXPTMuHZuI7UXCsENgL1Qwp1uSOf7Rz3uVPMfm.webp","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/mVsXPTMuHZuI7UXCsENgL1Qwp1uSOf7Rz3uVPMfm.webp",71280,2,{"title":169,"description":170,"slug":171,"created_at":172,"publish_at":173,"formatted_created_at":174,"category":175,"links":176,"view_type":127,"video_url":87,"views":181,"likes":182,"lang":90,"comments_count":89,"is_pinned":111},"Advertising on QUASA","QUASA MEDIA is read by more than 400 thousand people a month. We offer to place your article, add a link or order the writing of an article for publication.","advertising-on-quasa","2022-07-06T07:33:02.000000Z","2025-12-15T17:33:02.000000Z","15.12.2025",{"title":58,"slug":63},{"image":177,"image_webp":178,"thumb":179,"thumb_webp":180},"https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/45SvmdsTQbiyc3nxgbyHY1mpVbisYyub2BCHjqBL.jpg","https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/45SvmdsTQbiyc3nxgbyHY1mpVbisYyub2BCHjqBL.webp","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/45SvmdsTQbiyc3nxgbyHY1mpVbisYyub2BCHjqBL.jpg","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/45SvmdsTQbiyc3nxgbyHY1mpVbisYyub2BCHjqBL.webp",71053,4,{"title":184,"description":185,"slug":186,"created_at":187,"publish_at":188,"formatted_created_at":189,"category":190,"links":191,"view_type":86,"video_url":87,"views":194,"likes":182,"lang":90,"comments_count":89,"is_pinned":111},"What is a Startup?","A startup is not a new company, not a tech company, nor a new tech company. You can be a new tech company, if your goal is not to grow high and fast; then, you are not a startup. ","what-is-a-startup","2021-08-04T12:05:17.000000Z","2025-12-17T13:02:00.000000Z","17.12.2025",{"title":65,"slug":66},{"image":192,"image_webp":87,"thumb":193,"thumb_webp":193},"https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/EOsQhSW3VXyG7a6NPdE1oZd00xfJXe3bjY5aJGb7.webp","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/EOsQhSW3VXyG7a6NPdE1oZd00xfJXe3bjY5aJGb7.webp",68670,{"title":196,"description":197,"slug":198,"created_at":199,"publish_at":200,"formatted_created_at":201,"category":202,"links":203,"view_type":86,"video_url":87,"views":208,"likes":167,"lang":90,"comments_count":209,"is_pinned":111},"Top 5 Tips to Make More Money as a Content Creator","Content creators are one of the most desired job titles right now. Who wouldn’t want to earn a living online?","top-5-tips-to-make-more-money-as-a-content-creator","2022-01-17T17:31:51.000000Z","2026-01-17T11:30:00.000000Z","17.01.2026",{"title":19,"slug":20},{"image":204,"image_webp":205,"thumb":206,"thumb_webp":207},"https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/gP8kiumBPpJmQv6SMieXiX1tDetx43VwFfO1P4Ca.jpg","https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/gP8kiumBPpJmQv6SMieXiX1tDetx43VwFfO1P4Ca.webp","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/gP8kiumBPpJmQv6SMieXiX1tDetx43VwFfO1P4Ca.jpg","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/gP8kiumBPpJmQv6SMieXiX1tDetx43VwFfO1P4Ca.webp",42619,1,{"title":211,"description":212,"slug":213,"created_at":214,"publish_at":215,"formatted_created_at":216,"category":217,"links":218,"view_type":127,"video_url":87,"views":223,"likes":167,"lang":90,"comments_count":89,"is_pinned":111},"8 Logo Design Tips for Small Businesses","Your logo tells the story of your business and the values you stand for.","8-logo-design-tips-for-small-businesses","2021-12-04T21:59:52.000000Z","2025-05-05T03:30:00.000000Z","05.05.2025",{"title":15,"slug":16},{"image":219,"image_webp":220,"thumb":221,"thumb_webp":222},"https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/Wbx2NtS1CnTupgoQbpFMGspJ5jm4uob2hDOq33r0.jpg","https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/Wbx2NtS1CnTupgoQbpFMGspJ5jm4uob2hDOq33r0.webp","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/Wbx2NtS1CnTupgoQbpFMGspJ5jm4uob2hDOq33r0.jpg","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/Wbx2NtS1CnTupgoQbpFMGspJ5jm4uob2hDOq33r0.webp",41690,[225,226,227,228,229,230,231,232,233,234,235,236,237],{"title":23,"slug":24},{"title":47,"slug":48},{"title":55,"slug":56},{"title":43,"slug":44},{"title":51,"slug":52},{"title":31,"slug":32},{"title":35,"slug":36},{"title":27,"slug":28},{"title":19,"slug":20},{"title":15,"slug":16},{"title":58,"slug":63},{"title":11,"slug":12},{"title":65,"slug":66}]