‘Customers prefer AI chatbots,’ says British Gas owner as 1,300 call centre jobs axed
Centrica, the owner of British Gas, is cutting 1,300 call centre jobs as it deploys AI tools to handle customer interactions. CEO Chris O'Shea framed the move as customer-driven, claiming most households prefer AI chatbots over speaking with staff.
Why this matters: When a company cuts over a thousand jobs and immediately says customers prefer it that way, that framing deserves scrutiny. Centrica also reported higher profits. Those two facts sitting next to each other tell you something about who this decision was really made for. Call centre workers are not a tech problem that AI solved. They are the people who handle billing disputes, complaints, and crises for households that often cannot afford to get those things wrong. If AI takes that over, the real test is whether customers actually get better help, or just faster dead ends.
Who should care: General readers · AI governance · Policy
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