'Start of a trend' | BT's 55,000 jobs cuts ahead of AI ramp-up causes concern for HR experts

BT is to cut 55,000 jobs before the end of the decade - potentially over 40% of its workforce – and up to a fifth of these roles could be replaced with AI.

As per Reuters, the telecoms giant’s chief executive Philip Jansen said that after completing an ambitious national fibre network roll-out, digitising the way it worked, adopting artificial intelligence (AI) and simplifying its structure, BT would rely on a much smaller workforce and significantly reduced cost base by the end of the 2020s.

The BBC reported that around 10,000 of the axed jobs could be replaced with AI tech.

"New BT Group will be a leaner business with a brighter future," Jansen said.