Nearly 2000 jobs at risk: Allianz subsidiary reportedly plans layoffs due to AI
US corporations made headlines with AI layoffs. Now, call center agents at an Allianz subsidiary could be affected, according to reports.
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According to consistent media reports, the Allianz subsidiary Allianz Partners wants to lay off between 1500 and 1800 people in the call center sector and replace them with artificial intelligence. The automated AI systems are intended to handle a large part of simple telephone inquiries in the future, according to reports citing insiders.
According to a report by the SĂĽddeutsche Zeitung, over 120 positions in Germany could be affected. Allianz Partners currently still employs 1600 people in Germany, primarily in and around Munich. Job cuts are also planned in France, Spain, and Great Britain. In total, 22,600 people work for the company, around 14,000 of whom are in the call center sector.
Fewer employees needed?
Allianz Partners has neither denied nor confirmed the layoffs so far. The company is currently "actively examining how technological change will affect us all," it said in a statement. This could "also have an impact on roles that are currently heavily characterized by manual processes." Confidential discussions with works councils have begun in this regard, a company spokesperson told the German Press Agency.
According to insiders cited by the Handelsblatt, Allianz Partners considers the cuts necessary because the company simply requires fewer employees in certain areas due to the use of AI. Allianz has developed its own AI assistant for telephone service, which can theoretically handle hundreds of customer calls in parallel – and in more than 20 languages. Simple inquiries such as address changes or status updates on processing can increasingly be handled by AI alone, while more complex cases are forwarded to human employees. According to dpa, Allianz points to high customer satisfaction.
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Under the Allianz Partners brand, the Munich-based group has bundled its business with travel insurance, travel health insurance, and assistance services ranging from breakdown assistance to tradesperson services. The division has since become one of the insurer's largest growth drivers. So far, layoffs based on AI have primarily occurred at tech companies. Most recently, for example, the computer manufacturer HP, which plans to cut 6000 jobs, and Amazon with 14,000 jobs.
(axk)
