Loto-Québec expects AI to cut its labour needs by up to 10% over about five years, mostly by not replacing retirees

In the employer's own words: said by the company's chief executive in a newspaper interview. This cut has not happened yet and is not counted in the verified job-loss totals. Loto-Québec's chief executive, Jean-François Bergeron, says the Quebec lottery and gaming corporation will need fewer people because of AI, and expects most of the reduction to come from staff who retire and are not replaced. Asked in a newspaper interview published on 19 October 2026 whether AI would cost jobs, he said it "will reduce our labour needs, but that could happen through natural attrition", adding that many employees will retire over the next five years and that this is "the chance to become more efficient without necessarily resorting to layoffs" (our translation). Asked how many positions could go, he said "it could go up to 10%, over a horizon of about five years", and specified that he meant 10% of the budget the corporation spends on its workforce. Loto-Québec employs more than 5,000 people and spends about 5% to 10% of its technology budget, some $5 million to $10 million, on AI, a share he expects to grow. He gave no headcount and no date for any specific cut, so nothing has happened yet.