High confidence
May 18, 2023
BT Group
− 55,000 Up to 55,000 by 2030 (≈42% of workforce); ~10,000 attributed to AI/automation
Attribution · verbatim quote
“There is a sort of 10,000 reduction from that sort of automated digitisation, we will be a huge beneficiary of AI.”
— Philip Jansen (ceo)
Summary
BT Group announced plans to cut up to 55,000 jobs by 2030 as it completed its fibre rollout. BT and CEO Philip Jansen told media that around a fifth of the cuts — roughly 10,000 roles — would be attributable to AI and automation, including customer service handled by chatbots.
Evidence notes
- · BBC: ~10,000 of the 55,000 cuts attributed to AI; remainder to fibre completion and contractor reductions.
- · Forbes coverage explicitly cites 'AI replacing thousands of roles'.
- · The recorded quote is an uninterrupted Philip Jansen passage in the Guardian's May 2023 reporting; it refers to roughly 10,000 automation-linked roles within the wider up-to-55,000 plan, not all 55,000.
Sources
BT to cut 55,000 jobs with up to a fifth replaced by AI
BBC · News · 2023-05-18 · bbc.com
BT to axe up to 55,000 jobs by 2030 as it pushes into AI The Guardian · News · 2023-05-18 · theguardian.com
Telecom Giant BT Will Cut 55,000 Jobs By 2030—And Replace Thousands of Roles with AI Forbes · News · 2023-05-18 · forbes.com