Uber Cuts 10% of Customer-Service Roles as AI Efficiencies Grow

Uber has cut 10% of its customer-service roles as it adopts AI efficiencies, the Economic Times reported. The report directly linked the reduction to artificial intelligence, but did not specify the number of jobs affected or the countries involved.

The move adds to pressure on contact-centre work. Revelio Labs found global call-centre employment was 5.3% below its December 2023 peak after eight consecutive quarters of decline. However, Gartner-related reporting cited in the findings says only about 20% of organisations have reduced customer-service headcount because of AI, and predicts some employers will rehire under different job titles.

For owners planning an AI-driven restructure, Uber’s example highlights the need to define which customer-service tasks are genuinely disappearing and which are merely changing. In Australia, consult affected employees before deciding redundancies, assess suitable redeployment into retained or redesigned service roles, and ensure any termination rests on a genuine redundancy rather than simply introducing a tool.