Humans actually prefer talking to an AI than a support person, says gas giant as it cuts jobs

Centrica, owner of British Gas, is cutting 1,300 call centre jobs, and its chief executive says changing customer behaviour is the main reason. The company plans to remove 800 roles as part of a “targeted deployment of AI tools,” on top of the 500 cuts announced last month. Customer service teams in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Leicester, Stockport, and Leeds will be affected over the next two years.

Some positions will disappear when employees leave and are not replaced, while the remaining cuts will come through redundancies. Trade unions have warned that Centrica’s AI investment will hand hundreds of human jobs to chatbots.

Centrica CEO Chris O’Shea says AI is not directly driving the cuts. According to him, more than 90% of British Gas customers now use digital channels first, while calls to the company have fallen by 20% (via The Guardian). Using an app or website first, however, does not necessarily mean customers prefer speaking to a chatbot.

Do customers actually prefer AI support?

Several recent surveys suggest most people still want access to a human support agent. A February 2026 SurveyMonkey report found that 79% of Americans strongly preferred dealing with a person, while only 8% actively preferred AI. Around 81% also believed companies were introducing AI mainly to save money rather than improve customer service.

A Pegasystems survey conducted by YouGov among more than 4,700 consumers in North America and the UK found that 66% preferred human-led support. Around 46% said AI rarely or never solved their problem, while only 2% wanted to deal only with chatbots.

Neither survey focuses specifically on British Gas customers, but both suggest Centrica may be confusing a preference for digital tools with a preference for AI.

When does AI customer service work better?

AI can work well when the problem is simple, and the customer wants a quick answer. Research published last year cited an Intercom survey in which 61% of consumers preferred AI for fast replies to routine questions.

Companies also have a strong financial reason to use the technology. One 2026 industry report estimates that AI can cut the average cost of a customer interaction from $4.60 to $1.45. AI agents can also solve between 76% and 92% of basic ecommerce requests.

British Gas customers may be happy to check a bill or change an appointment online. A serious billing dispute is very different, and the available evidence suggests most people still want a human when the problem becomes complicated.