Amazon now has more than one million robots operating inside its warehouses, nearly equaling the number of human workers.
Amazon’s expanding fleet of robots includes: Hercules, a lifter capable of handling 1,250 pounds; Pegasus, which sorts packages on conveyor belts; and Proteus, the company’s first fully autonomous robot able to operate directly alongside people.
The robots are especially productive in same-day delivery hubs where fewer human workers are employed and speed is crucial.
In a new report, the Wall Street Journal wrote, “Robots are also supplanting some employees, helping the company to slow hiring.
“Amazon employs about 1.56 million people overall, with the majority working in warehouses.
“The average number of employees Amazon had per facility last year, roughly 670, was the lowest recorded in the past 16 years, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis, which compared the company’s reported workforce with estimates of its facility count.”
As per TechRadar, Amazon has claimed that productivity in these high-tech facilities is roughly 25% faster than in traditional warehouses.
Amazon’s Robotics Solutions
In a statement to Newsweek, an Amazon spokesperson said, “Our robotics solutions are designed to automate tasks in an effort to continue improving safety, reducing repetition, and freeing our employees up to deliver for customers in more skilled ways.
“Since introducing robots within Amazon’s operations, we’ve continued to hire hundreds of thousands of employees to work in our facilities and created many new job categories worldwide, including positions like flow control specialists, floor monitors, and reliability maintenance engineers.”
The Expansion of AI
In a press release, Amazon’s VP of Robotics Scott Dresser explained that a new generative artificial intelligence (AI) Model will help the company increase robot mobility by 10%.
“Called DeepFleet, this AI technology will coordinate the movement of robots across our fulfillment network, improving the travel time of our robotic fleet by 10% and enabling us to deliver packages to customers faster and at lower costs,” Dresser noted.
“These robots work alongside our employees, handling heavy lifting and repetitive tasks while creating new opportunities for our front-line operators to develop technical skills.
“I’m particularly proud that since 2019, we’ve helped upskill more than 700,000 employees through various training initiatives, many focused on working with advanced technologies.”
‘We will need fewer people’
At the same time, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy offered a more direct message in a letter to employees, warning that the expansion of AI across the company will lead to a leaner corporate workforce.
In the letter, cited by Newsweek, he wrote, “As we roll out more Generative AI and agents, it should change the way our work is done.
“We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs.”
Critics Say Worker Cuts Are About Cost, Not Innovation
Jassy’s statement drew criticism from labor advocates and consultants who believe Amazon is prioritizing cost-cutting over employment.
Speaking with Newsweek, Human Resources consultant Bryan Driscoll said, “The letter reads as a masterclass in spin. And this move isn’t about leaner teams or working smarter.
“It’s about replacing human labor with machines – employees without the headache of dealing with humans, wages, benefits, and compliance.”
He added, “The company openly admits AI will reduce its total workforce but frames that as a net gain for customer experience – at least from those customers who can still afford to buy things.
“What it actually means is that tens of thousands of people will lose their jobs not because they weren’t performing, but because they can be replaced by a cheaper worker.”
Newsweek has contacted Amazon for comment via email.
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