BT To Cut 55,000 Jobs, CEO Says Many Will Likely Be Replaced By Digitization And Automation: 'We Will Be A Beneficiary Of AI Unequivocally'

On Thursday, Britain's mobile provider BT Group announced that it plans to cut as many as 55,000 jobs by 2030. 

BT Group's CEO Philip Jansen said the company is moving towards digitizing its operations and simplifying its structure, which would rely on a much smaller workforce and significantly reduce its cost base, Reuters reported. 

After meeting market expectations, BT announced a 5% rise in full-year adjusted core earnings of $10 billion. 

Jansen told reporters BT had grown pro forma revenue and core earnings for the first time in six years in the year to the end of March while navigating an "extraordinary macro-economic backdrop."

Jansen also said on an earnings call that the company would be a "beneficiary of AI — unequivocally," CNN reported. 

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The CEO added that 10,000 positions would be replaced by digitization and automation in the organization. The company has so far cut $2.6 billion in costs since April 2020.

"We will be a beneficiary of AI unequivocally," he told analysts on a call, adding that the technology would help the company deliver customer service "in a more seamless way," according to CNN.

"Our chatbot Amy deals with lots of customer queries already," he said. The outlet reported that BT had begun to explore new products and services that could come from "generative AI and large language model AIs."

According to BT's earnings report, the company reduced its headcount from 135,000 to 130,000 between 2022 and 2023. However, the company estimates that, by 2030, it will employ anywhere from 75,000 to 90,000 workers.

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