British American Tobacco to slash 9,000 jobs as it turns to AI

There will be no cuts in British American Tobacco’s business in the US, where it operates under its subsidiary Reynolds American. Photograph: Jason Alden/Newscast/PA

British American Tobacco (BAT) will cut about a fifth of its 47,000-strong workforce this year, as the cigarette-maker looks for ways to push down costs and become more “technology enabled”.

BAT, which is one of the biggest tobacco groups in the world, has announced it will cut 5,500 jobs by the end of the year and outsource a further 3,500, affecting a ⁠total of 9,000 employees.