Amazon deploys its 1 millionth robot in a sign of more job automation

The millionth robot strengthens Amazon's position as the world's largest manufacturer and operator of mobile robotics, said the company's vice president of robotics

The company's new "DeepFleet" AI model is expected to cut the travel time of the robot fleet by 10%, enabling faster and more cost-effective package deries

In this articleAMZN your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNTAn Amazon logistics center in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Dummerstorf, Germany, on Nov

Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesAmazon announced Monday its millionth worker robot, and said its entire fleet will be powered by a newly launched generative artificial intelligence model

The move comes at a time when more companies are cutting jobs and warning of automation

The million robot milestone — which joins Amazon's global network of more than 300 facilities — strengthens the company's position as the world's largest manufacturer and operator of mobile robotics, Scott Dresser, vice president of Amazon Robotics, said in a press release

Meanwhile, Dresser said that its new "DeepFleet" AI model will coordinate the movement of its robots within its fulfillment centers, reducing the travel time of the fleet by 10% and enabling faster and more cost-effective package deries

Amazon began deploying robots in its facilities in 2012 to move inventory shelves across warehouse floors, according to Dresser

Meanwhile, AI-powered humanoid robots — designed to mimic human movement and shape — could be deployed this year at factories owned by Tesla

Job security fearsBut although advancements in AI robotics those working in Amazon facilities come with the mise of ductivity gains, they have also raised concerns mass job loss

A Pew Re survey published in March found that both AI experts and the general public see factory workers as one of the groups most at risk of losing their jobs because of AI

That's a concern Dresser appeared to attempt to address in his statements. "These robots work alongside our employees, handling heavy lifting and repetitive tasks while creating new opportunities for our front-line operators to develop nical skills," Dresser said

He added that Amazon's "next-generation fulfillment center" in Shreveport, Louisiana, which was launched late last year, required 30% more employees in reliability, maintenance and engineering roles

However, the news of Amazon's robot expansion came soon after CEO Andy Jassy told CNBC that Amazon's rapid rollout of generative AI will result in "fewer people doing some of the jobs that the nology actually starts to automate. "Jassy said that even as AI eliminates jobs in certain areas, Amazon will continue to hire more employees in AI, robotics and elsewhere

But in a memo to employees earlier in June, the CEO had admitted that he expects the company's workforce to shrink in the coming years in light of nological advancements

The decline may have already begun

CNBC reported that Amazon cut more than 27,000 jobs in 2022 and 2023, and had continued to make more targeted cuts across units

Other big CEOs such as Shopify's CEO Tobi Lutke also recently warned of the impact that AI will have on staffing

That comes as a vast array of firms in and adopting AI execute rounds of layoffs

Employers plan to reduce their workforce due to AI.