India, Aug. 12 -- A startup co-founder's LinkedIn post about firing a human receptionist and replacing her with an AI system has sparked debate over the growing role of automation. In the viral post, the co-founder said the decision came after the employee missed three calls in one week, left a lead on hold for four minutes, and failed to follow up with a "hot prospect" ready to buy.

"Here's what happened: She missed 3 calls in one week. Put a lead on hold for 4 minutes. Forgot to follow up with a hot prospect who was ready to buy. In business, every missed call is money left on the table. So I replaced her with. an AI receptionist," the co-founder wrote.

He claimed that the AI receptionist answers calls instantly 24/7, books leads dire...