Frankfurt (Germany) (AFP) – German insurance giant Allianz signalled Wednesday looming job cuts due to its adoption of artificial intelligence, with a report saying up to 1,800 roles, mainly in call centres, could be axed. Allianz Partners, the company’s subsidiary dealing principally with travel insurance, stated it was “leveraging AI” to strengthen its position in the industry and improve its services.
Such changes could, however, “impact positions which are heavily reliant on manual processes today,” the company said in a statement. A spokesperson declined to give further details. However, a report in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper indicated that the subsidiary planned to cut between 1,500 and 1,800 jobs in the next 12 to 18 months, citing company sources. This represents up to eight percent of the 22,600 people employed by Allianz Partners, many of whom work in call centres.
Jobs will be lost in Germany, France, Spain, and Britain, the report noted. Sources close to the company told AFP that discussions with staff representatives are still at an early stage. Allianz Partners receives about 200,000 calls worldwide every day, many relating to simple matters such as the status of a claim, according to the paper. In the future, many such enquiries will be dealt with by automated AI responses.
The news comes with Allianz in good financial shape; the group earlier this month reported a sharp jump in third-quarter profits and raised its outlook for the year. Many companies have been announcing job cuts due to the adoption of AI as the boom in technology gathers pace.
© 2024 AFP
