Centrica Cuts 1,300 Jobs, Claims Customers Prefer AI Chatbots Over Human Agents

British Gas owner Centrica is cutting 1,300 call centre and back office jobs, citing customer preference for AI chatbots — a claim one reader publicly disputes.

Centrica, the owner of British Gas, is eliminating 1,300 call centre and back office positions, with CEO Chris O'Shea arguing that customers now prefer interacting with AI chatbots over human agents. The cuts come as the company reported a rise in retail profits, following a strategic shift toward higher margins. O'Shea's stated justification — that customers actively prefer automated service — drew a public rebuttal in the form of a reader letter published by The Guardian. Charles MacKinnon disputed the claim, pushing back on Centrica's framing of the job losses as customer-driven rather than cost-driven. Centrica has not detailed a specific timeline for the redundancies or indicated how many sites will be affected. The announcement follows a period of heightened scrutiny of British Gas over customer service and energy bills, during which the company has simultaneously reported improving financial performance.

Why it matters

The cuts affect 1,300 workers in call centre and back office roles at one of the UK's largest domestic energy suppliers. The stated rationale — that AI is simply meeting customer demand — has broader implications for how companies publicly frame automation-driven layoffs.

What's next

It is not yet reported when the 1,300 redundancies will take effect or whether unions have responded formally to the announcement.

Key facts

• Centrica, owner of British Gas, is cutting 1,300 call centre and back office jobs
• CEO Chris O'Shea cited customer preference for AI chatbots as justification for the cuts
• The announcement coincided with Centrica reporting a rise in retail profits
• The company said its strategy has shifted toward focusing on bigger margins
• Reader Charles MacKinnon publicly challenged Centrica's claim that customers prefer bots to humans in a letter to The Guardian

Bias & framing notes

Both sources are from The Guardian, limiting independent corroboration. The news report presents Centrica's position alongside the profit figures but does not include detailed rebuttal from workers or unions. The letter piece is explicitly opinion and counter-argument, not additional reporting. No source surfaces data or evidence either supporting or refuting the claim that customers prefer AI chatbots.

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