The chief executive of BT Group has warned that the rollout of artificial intelligence across the business could result in further job cuts beyond the 55,000 roles the company has already earmarked for redundancy.
In an interview with the Financial Times over the weekend, Allison Kirkby, who took over from former chief executive Philip Jansen last year, said that while BT’s current cost-cutting strategy includes slashing 40,000 to 55,000 jobs by 2030, it “did not reflect the full potential of AI”.
“Depending on what we learn from AI … there may be an opportunity for BT to be even smaller by the end of the decade,” Kirkby said, suggesting the technology could unlock new levels of automation and operational efficiency.
The comments raise fresh concerns for BT’s workforce, which has already been bracing for steep reductions as part of a wider £3 billion cost-cutting plan aimed at making the telecoms giant a leaner, more agile business.
BT, the UK’s largest broadband and telecoms provider, first unveiled its job reduction strategy in 2023 under Jansen’s leadership. That announcement included plans to streamline operations and reduce reliance on contractors as the company completed its full-fibre broadband rollout.
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