Amazon hopes to replace 600,000 US workers with robots, according to leaked documents

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

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

Documents reportedly amusement that Amazon’s robotics squad is moving towards automating 75 percent of the 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, with automation efforts expected to prevention the institution $12.6 cardinal from 2025 to 2027.

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

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

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