Amazon is reportedly planning to deploy up to 600,000 robot workers within its US workforce by 2033, internal documents obtained by The New York Times suggest.
The documents suggested that Amazon’s robotics team is seeking to, by 2027, eliminate 160,000 jobs from its human workforce.
This could save an estimated US$12.6 billion (c. £9.46bn), with the company working towards automating 75% of its entire business.
This will be partly achieved via fixing existing shortages via automation, with more jobs becoming automated over time.
The report also suggested that certain wording be used to negate negative public and worker reaction, with ‘robot’ replaced with ‘cobot’ indicating that existing jobs would be supported with automation, not replaced.
Amazon had recently announced in June that it had hit a workforce milestone of deploying more than 1 million robots in its fulfillment and delivery network.
The report itself does not clarify how quickly the shift will be made, with no mention of widespread layoffs or targeted sectors within the company.
Amazon responded to electronics news site CNET via email stating: “Our investments will continue to create substantial employment, emphasising higher-paying positions.
“In particular, and as mentioned in The New York Times story, efficiency gains in one area enable us to invest in other areas – both existing and entirely new ones – that create additional value for customers.
“While it’s difficult to predict the future precisely, our track record demonstrates that we’ve consistently been a major job creator while simultaneously investing in upskilling our workforce for evolving roles.”
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