Telekommunikationskonzern: Deutsche Telekom will durch KI-Einsatz Milliarden sparen

Deutsche Telekom plans to expand its use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the company in order to cut costs. The telecommunications giant projected in a statement on Monday that indirect annual expenses in the group will decline by approximately €2.5 billion by 2030 due to AI and automation, compared to 2023 levels. This represents a significant increase from the previously announced gross savings of €1.1 billion by 2027.

Additionally, Deutsche Telekom aims to grow its AI-related revenue outside the US to €800 million by 2030, with €250 million achieved in the current year. The company confirmed that it still adheres to its medium-term goals and predictions. The Telekom stock showed minimal movement pre-market on Tradegate platform relative to the Xetra closing price prior to the weekend.

According to the company spokesperson, "AI is fundamentally changing the telecommunications sector by making our networks more advanced and intelligent, personalizing our service, and opening up new business models, from AI assistants during phone calls to sovereign infrastructure for Europe's industry." AI is being primarily utilized in areas where repetitive tasks are prevalent, such as identifying mobile network load early, assisting customer service personnel, and resolving customer concerns directly.

In private customer business, new AI services, such as live translation of calls on mobile networks, are expected to contribute to growth. Deutsche Telekom sets AI up where large volumes of repetitive work occur: in network operation, customer service, software development, and administrative processes. In Q1, a chatbot had already handled approximately 2.6 million calls in customer service.

In the US, the number of calls in customer service had dropped by 55%, with AI agents now handling 40% of customer contacts.