Uber Cuts 10% of Customer-Service Jobs for AI Chatbot Routing

Uber has cut 10% of its customer-service jobs as it adopts AI. BetaNews reported that the ride-hailing company is using chatbot routing to handle customer interactions, reducing the number of human customer-service roles.

The move forms part of a broader contraction in call-centre employment. Revelio Labs reported that global call-centre headcount was 5.3% below its December 2023 peak by October 2026, ending more than a decade of growth. The data also shows employment declining year over year for eight consecutive quarters.

The direction is not uniform. Klarna began rehiring customer-service representatives after initially claiming its AI chatbot could handle the work of 700 staff. Gartner forecasts that about 30% of AI-driven layoffs may require rehiring by 2029, with customer service particularly exposed.

For employers, Uber’s example highlights the need to separate the business case for automation from the legal process for removing roles. Before deciding redundancies, assess whether duties genuinely disappear, consult affected employees and consider suitable redeployment into remaining or newly created work. Document the new operating model and selection criteria rather than treating AI adoption alone as proof that a role is redundant.