Amazon: AI is Eating Jobs! 500,000 Jobs at Amazon to Go; What's the Real Story?
Amazon to Replace Human Jobs with Robots : As the use of technology is rapidly increasing in the e-commerce sector, Amazon has decided to rapidly expand robotic automation in its operations. According to a report by the New York Times, this technology will eliminate the need for the company to hire millions of employees in the coming years and will result in significant cost savings.
It is estimated that the e-commerce giant Amazon may avoid the need to hire approximately 160,000 new employees in the US by 2027 due to its automation system. The report also states that this process will save the company about 30 cents, or approximately 26 rupees, for every item picked, packed, and delivered. According to officials, Amazon's sales are likely to double in the next few years. Nevertheless, through robotic automation, the company will not need to hire an additional 600,000 employees by 2033. Currently, Amazon has about 1.2 million employees working.
It has emerged that Amazon has avoided using certain words in order to not affect the external image due to the company's policies. Instead of the words “automation” and “artificial intelligence,” the term “advanced technology” is used, and instead of “robots,” the term “cobots” (collaboration of humans and robots) is used. Additionally, the company has focused on creating a positive image by increasing social participation as a “good corporate citizen,” as noted by the New York Times. Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel stated that these documents reflect the perspective of a specific team within the company. She also clarified that the company plans to employ 250,000 people during the holiday season. However, it has not yet been clarified whether this recruitment will be permanent or contract-based.
Notably, in 2012, Amazon acquired the company “Kiva Robotics” for a whopping 775 million dollars. This acquisition proved to be a decisive step in the company's automation journey. Last year, Amazon launched its most advanced warehouse, where over 1000 robots process packages with minimal human intervention. This entire transformation indicates the future direction of Amazon's operations: less manpower, more technology, and increased efficiency.