‘Customers prefer AI chatbots,’ says British Gas owner as 1,300 call centre jobs axed
News Source
•Thu, 23 Jul 2026 16:45:56 GMT
📰 What Happened
Centrica, the owner of British Gas, is cutting 1,300 call centre jobs. The company plans to replace human workers with AI chatbots and digital tools. 800 of those cuts are new, on top of 500 already announced last month.
The job cuts will affect call centres in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Leicester, Stockport, and Leeds. That is a 14% reduction in the customer service team. Some roles will simply not be filled when people leave, while others will be eliminated through redundancies.
CEO Chris O'Shea claimed customers prefer using digital channels anyway. He said over 90% of customers now use digital services first. Trade unions have criticized the move, saying it puts chatbot convenience ahead of human jobs and real customer service.
🔍 The Backstory
British Gas is the UK's biggest energy supplier. It serves millions of homes across the country. For decades, customers called a phone number and spoke to a real person about their bills, problems, or questions.
AI chatbots have improved rapidly in recent years. They can now handle many common customer service tasks without human help. Companies see this as a way to cut costs and handle more queries faster. British Gas is not alone in making this shift - many banks, telecoms, and retailers are doing the same.
But the change comes at a cost to workers. Call centre jobs have been a reliable source of employment in UK cities. Unions argue that customers still want to talk to a human for complex problems. They say chatbots cannot handle emergencies or understand emotional situations.
🎯 Why It Matters
AI is replacing real people in customer service jobs. This affects workers, their families, and the quality of help customers get when something goes wrong.
Centrica, the owner of British Gas, is cutting 1,300 call centre jobs. The company plans to replace human workers with AI chatbots and digital tools. 800 of those cuts are new, on top of 500 already announced last month.
The job cuts will affect call centres in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Leicester, Stockport, and Leeds. That is a 14% reduction in the customer service team. Some roles will simply not be filled when people leave, while others will be eliminated through redundancies.
CEO Chris O'Shea claimed customers prefer using digital channels anyway. He said over 90% of customers now use digital services first. Trade unions have criticized the move, saying it puts chatbot convenience ahead of human jobs and real customer service.
British Gas is the UK's biggest energy supplier. It serves millions of homes across the country. For decades, customers called a phone number and spoke to a real person about their bills, problems, or questions.
AI chatbots have improved rapidly in recent years. They can now handle many common customer service tasks without human help. Companies see this as a way to cut costs and handle more queries faster. British Gas is not alone in making this shift - many banks, telecoms, and retailers are doing the same.
But the change comes at a cost to workers. Call centre jobs have been a reliable source of employment in UK cities. Unions argue that customers still want to talk to a human for complex problems. They say chatbots cannot handle emergencies or understand emotional situations.
AI is replacing real people in customer service jobs. This affects workers, their families, and the quality of help customers get when something goes wrong.