Amazon Hopes To Replace 600,000 Us Workers With Robots, According To Leaked Documents

Amazon has deployed complete a cardinal robots to its facilities, and is testing bipedal bots for illustration Agility Robotics' “Digit” (pictured). | Image: Jason Redmond / Getty Images

Amazon is reportedly leaning into automation plans that will alteration nan institution to debar hiring much than half a cardinal US workers. Citing interviews and soul strategy documents, The New York Times reports that Amazon is hoping its robots tin switch much than 600,000 jobs it would different person to prosecute successful nan United States by 2033, contempt estimating it’ll waste astir doubly arsenic galore products complete nan period.

Documents reportedly show that Amazon’s robotics squad is moving towards automating 75 percent of nan company’s full operations, and expects to ditch 160,000 US roles that would different beryllium needed by 2027. This would prevention astir 30 cents connected each point that Amazon warehouses and delivers to customers, pinch automation efforts expected to prevention nan institution $12.6 cardinal from 2025 to 2027.

Amazon has considered steps to amended its image arsenic a “good firm citizen” successful mentation for nan anticipated backlash astir occupation losses, according to The NYT, reporting that nan institution considered participating successful organization projects and avoiding position for illustration “automation” and “AI.” More vague position for illustration “advanced technology” were explored instead, and utilizing nan word “cobot” for robots that activity alongside humans.

In a connection to The NYT, Amazon said nan leaked documents were incomplete and did not correspond nan company’s wide hiring strategy, and that executives are not being instructed to debar utilizing definite position erstwhile referring to robotics. We person besides reached retired to Amazon for comment. 

“Nobody other has nan aforesaid inducement arsenic Amazon to find nan measurement to automate. Once they activity retired really to do this profitably, it will dispersed to others, too,” Daron Acemoglu, victor of nan Nobel Prize successful economical subject past year, told The NYT. Adding that if Amazon achieves its automation goal, “one of nan biggest employers successful nan United States will go a nett occupation destroyer, not a nett occupation creator.”