BT CEO: AI Could Push Job Cuts Beyond 55,000

LONDON — BT Group CEO Allison Kirkby warned on Sunday that the telecom giant’s massive plan to slash up to 55,000 jobs by 2030 might just be the starting point. The company says new artificial intelligence tools are allowing them to cut costs faster than expected, specifically in customer service and back-office roles.

Key Facts

• The Number: 40,000 to 55,000 jobs cut by 2030 (approx. 40% of workforce).
• The Driver: AI automation replacing human roles in customer support and network management.
• The Savings: Targeting £3 billion in cost reductions.
• Primary Source: Reuters | Secondary Source: The Guardian

The AI Factor

The original plan to shrink BT’s workforce was set two years ago, but the company now says the technology has moved faster than they planned. Kirkby told reporters that the initial target “did not reflect the full potential of AI.”

She added that depending on how well these new AI tools work, there is a chance for BT to be “even smaller” by the end of the decade. The company is already using AI chatbots to handle customer queries and software to spot network faults before they cause outages.

Where the Cuts Will Hit

This is not a single round of layoffs but a long-term reduction. The biggest hits will come from two areas:

• Customer Service: BT expects to replace about 10,000 roles with automated digital systems.
• Engineering: As the company finishes building its new high-speed fiber network across the UK, it will need fewer engineers to maintain it.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has previously called the scale of these cuts “deeply concerned,” noting that while technology changes, the company still needs people to serve customers properly.