---
title: "‘Customers prefer AI chatbots,’ says British Gas owner as 1,300 call centre jobs axed"
slug: "british-gas-chef-kunden-bevorzugen-ai-chatbots-1300-callcenter-jobs-fallen-weg"
date: 2026-07-23
category: tech-pub
tags: []
language: en
sources_count: 1
featured: false
publisher: AInauten News
url: https://news.ainauten.com/en/story/british-gas-chef-kunden-bevorzugen-ai-chatbots-1300-callcenter-jobs-fallen-weg
---

# ‘Customers prefer AI chatbots,’ says British Gas owner as 1,300 call centre jobs axed

**Published**: 2026-07-23 | **Category**: tech-pub | **Sources**: 1

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## TL;DR

Centrica, the FTSE 100 owner of British Gas, is cutting 1,300 call centre jobs: 800 newly announced on top of 500 confirmed last month, as it carries out what it calls a targeted deployment of AI tools.

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## Summary

Centrica, the FTSE 100 owner of British Gas, is cutting 1,300 call centre jobs: 800 newly announced on top of 500 confirmed last month, as it carries out what it calls a targeted deployment of AI tools. CEO Chris O'Shea defends the move, claiming most households would rather speak to an AI chatbot than deal with company staff. The announcement lands alongside rising retail profits after a push for bigger margins.

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## Why it matters

Centrica, the FTSE 100 owner of British Gas, is cutting 1,300 call centre jobs: 800 newly announced on top of 500 confirmed last month, as it carries out what it calls a targeted deployment of AI tools.

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## Key Points

- Centrica, the FTSE 100 owner of British Gas, is cutting 1,300 call centre jobs: 800 newly announced on top of 500 confirmed last month, as it carries out what it calls a targeted deployment of AI tools.
- CEO Chris O'Shea defends the move, claiming most households would rather speak to an AI chatbot than deal with company staff.
- The announcement lands alongside rising retail profits after a push for bigger margins.

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## Nauti's Take

There is a real kernel here: for routine tasks like meter readings or payment plans, a good chatbot genuinely beats a 20-minute hold queue. The risk sits with everything complex or existential — payment trouble, outages, hardship cases. Nauti sees the opportunity in smarter routing rather than pure headcount cuts, and customers should check whether a real path to a human still exists.

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## FAQ

**Q:** What is ‘Customers prefer AI chatbots,’ says British Gas owner as 1,300 call centre jobs axed about?

**A:** Centrica, the FTSE 100 owner of British Gas, is cutting 1,300 call centre jobs: 800 newly announced on top of 500 confirmed last month, as it carries out what it calls a targeted deployment of AI tools.

**Q:** Why does it matter?

**A:** Centrica, the FTSE 100 owner of British Gas, is cutting 1,300 call centre jobs: 800 newly announced on top of 500 confirmed last month, as it carries out what it calls a targeted deployment of AI tools.

**Q:** What are the key takeaways?

**A:** Centrica, the FTSE 100 owner of British Gas, is cutting 1,300 call centre jobs: 800 newly announced on top of 500 confirmed last month, as it carries out what it calls a targeted deployment of AI tools.. CEO Chris O'Shea defends the move, claiming most households would rather speak to an AI chatbot than deal with company staff.. The announcement lands alongside rising retail profits after a push for bigger margins.

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## Related Topics

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## Sources

- [‘Customers prefer AI chatbots,’ says British Gas owner as 1,300 call centre jobs axed](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jul/23/customers-prefer-ai-chatbots-says-chris-oshea-british-gas-centrica-boss) - The Guardian AI

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## About This Article

This article is a synthesis of 1 sources, curated and summarized by AInauten News. We aggregate AI news from trusted sources and provide bilingual (German/English) coverage.

**Publisher**: [AInauten](https://www.ainauten.com) | **Site**: [news.ainauten.com](https://news.ainauten.com)

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*Last Updated: 2026-07-23*