🚨 BT CEO Sounds the Alarm: AI Could Spark More Job Cuts
By Nathan Rennolds | Published June 15, 2025
📰 The Big Picture: The CEO of British telecom titan BT, Allison Kirkby, just dropped a serious AI truth bomb. While BT had already announced plans to trim up to 55,000 jobs by 2030, Kirkby hints that AI might push the needle even further, potentially shrinking the firm beyond earlier expectations.
🤖 AI and the White-Collar Workforce: The BT Story
Executives warning about AI’s impact on white-collar jobs is becoming less of a sci-fi plot and more reality TV. BT is diving headfirst into AI, using it to overhaul customer service and sales processes across the board—including at EE, its mobile division.
In 2024, BT revealed they're employing generative AI to speed things up and make customer chats smoother. Their superstar virtual assistant, "Aimee," is already juggling around 60,000 customer conversations every week. That's a lot of multitasking!
Kirkby told the Financial Times that the current plan to cut jobs "did not reflect the full potential of AI", implying that the workforce might soon get leaner as AI learns more tricks.
💡 Klarna & The AI Customer Service Revolution
BT isn’t the only one eyeing AI-driven efficiency. Enter Klarna, the Swedish payment juggernaut, which openly admits its AI assistant, powered by OpenAI, has replaced 700 full-time customer service agents. Talk about an AI takeover!
Interestingly, Klarna’s CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski has “softened” his stance recently, acknowledging the human side and even hiring back some customer service staff. But don’t be fooled—he still believes AI poses a massive threat to white-collar jobs.
On The Times Tech podcast, Siemiatkowski openly said these AI-driven efficiency gains have shrunk Klarna’s workforce from around 5,500 to 3,000 in two years. Yikes. And as he warns, such shifts usually trigger at least a short-term recession.
⚠️ When AI Companies Break the Silence
Even the folks building AI have started ringing alarm bells loud and clear. Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei, recently warned that up to half of all entry-level white-collar positions could vanish within five years. Not exactly sugar-coated, huh?
He stressed that AI creators have a responsibility to be upfront about these coming changes—as many people just haven’t clocked the scale of disruption on the horizon.
🎯 So, Who’s Feeling the Heat?
- White-collar workers in sectors like customer service, sales, and support are first in AI's crosshairs.
- Companies like BT and Klarna show the blueprint: automating frontline tasks with AI to cut costs and boost efficiency.
- Policy makers and labor markets will need to brace themselves for waves of change, with implications for employment and economic stability.
🤔 What Can We Take Away?
- AI isn’t just a productivity tool; it’s a job transformer.
- While AI promises slicker operations, it carries a human cost—millions are vulnerable to displacement.
- If you work in a white-collar role that involves repetitive tasks, it’s time to upskill or pivot.
💬 Final Thoughts:
Sure, AI is dazzling and full of promise, but corporations don’t have hearts—they have bottom lines. Allison Kirkby’s warning is a friendly nudge (well, maybe a shove) for all of us to get ready for a future where AI changes the workforce landscape permanently.
Embrace AI, but keep an eye on the evolving job market. Upskill, rethink your role, and stay curious — because the AI revolution is just getting started 🚀.
See you next time!
[Image Credit: JANERIK HENRIKSSON/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images]
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AI, BT, Job Cuts, Customer Service, White-Collar Jobs, Automation, AI Ethics
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