FT reported that as artificial intelligence becomes stronger, BT CEO’s eyes cut their work even more.
(Reuters) – BT Group CEO Allison Kirkby said advances in artificial intelligence could deepen BT’s massive layoffs.
Kirkby told the newspaper that BT plans to withdraw more than 40,000 jobs by the end of the decade and divest 3 billion pounds ($4 billion) of fees “does not reflect the full potential of AI.”
“Depending on what we learn from AI. By the end of the decade, BT may have a chance to get smaller,” FT quoted her as saying.
The UK’s largest broadband and mobile provider said in 2023 that jobs including contractors would cut as many as 55,000 jobs by 2030, when then-CEO Philip Jansen said the company would rely on a much smaller workforce and lower its cost base in the late 2020s.
Kirkby, who took over from Jansen a year ago, also opened the door to the company’s OpenReach’s potential future derive from the company’s network infrastructure business, FT said.
She said she did not feel the value of OpenReach is reflected in the company’s stock price, and if persistent, BT “must definitely have to consider options.”
BT said last month that strong demand for fiber broadband and cost savings of over 900 million pounds helped to cover its full-year earnings and boost cash flow.
OpenReach’s elasticity offsets the decline in revenue and profits of its business and consumer units, while traditional voice services continue to decline and mobile phone sales declined.
($1 = 0.7372 lbs)
(Reported by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bangalore; Editors of Raju Gopalakrishnan and William Mallard)
