Amazon, a company that was once seen as a major job creator, is likely to eliminate human labor in its warehouses worldwide, now focusing on robots, with one million machines since 2020.
Beginning in 2020, the number of robots in Amazon warehouses has grown fivefold, and they currently almost equal the number of human workers in its distribution hubs. According to data, each employee dispatched more than 3,870 shipments last year, up from just 175 in 2015.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy believes that AI will reduce physical strain and eliminate repetitive tasks, making jobs more interesting. However, he acknowledges that as technology advances, fewer people will be doing automated jobs, leading to a reality where salaried work disappears.
Recently deployed machines include “Tipper,” which unloads packages from carts onto conveyor belts, “Echelon,” which manages package movement, and “ZancaSort,” which delivers packages at an ergonomic height.
“Agility” helps route parcels with minimal human input. The most advanced system, “Vulcan,” uses pressure-sensitive tooling to pick and stow items in hard-to-reach areas of inventory pods.
Amazon aims to create high-skilled, ergonomically sound work and frames the move as a step towards safer, more efficient warehouses, not as a replacement for human labor.
New AI foundation model to power the robotic fleet
Amazon announced on June 30 deployed its 1 millionth robot, establishing itself as the world’s largest mobile robotics manufacturer. The robot was delivered to a fulfillment center in Japan, joining Amazon’s global network of over 300 facilities.
Amazon is also introducing DeepFleet, a new generative AI foundation model, to enhance the efficiency of its robot fleet. This technology will coordinate robot movement across the fulfillment network, improving travel time by 10% and enabling faster and more cost-effective package delivery.
DeepFleet is an AI model that optimizes robots’ movements in fulfillment centers, reducing congestion and improving efficiency. It uses extensive inventory data and AWS tools like Amazon SageMaker to create an intelligent traffic management system.
This model allows for faster delivery and lower costs by storing more products closer to customers. DeepFleet is built on AI that learns and improves over time, continuously finding new ways to optimize robots’ work together. It is designed to reduce wait times and create better routes for drivers.
Amazon’s push for robotics is centered on operational efficiency rather than a broad labor replacement strategy, concentrating on specific pain areas. Vulcan and Echelon are two examples of systems that show how targeted robots may increase safety and production without adding needless complexity.
