How Amazon is expanding and revolutionising its workforce with robotics

A workforce revolution is imminent with the mainstreaming of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and Amazon is ushering in a new era for its workforce with the introduction of robotics.

At its third annual Amazon Delivering the Future event in Nashville, Tennessee, the tech giant unveiled its latest innovations, including the next-generation fulfilment centre in Louisiana that is powered by advanced AI and 10 times more robotics.

Countering AI alarmists 

There is a quiet fear within the retail industry that robots are taking over human jobs, a uniquely 21st-century phenomenon that has been dubbed “FOBO”, the fear of obsolescence. 

“Perception really matters when it comes to innovation,” Tye Brady, chief technologist of Amazon Robotics, said at Amazon’s Delivering the Future 2024 event.

Amazon commissioned new research to uncover Australian workers’ sentiment towards AI and robotics – and the findings were surprisingly optimistic. 

YouGov found that 91 per cent of Aussie workers who have experience with AI and robotics say their work has been positively impacted.

Since 1994, Amazon has scaled from an online bookstore to the world’s largest online retailer and marketplace, largely due to its dedication to and continued investment in innovation. 

Doug Herrington, CEO of Worldwide Amazon Stores, said at the Delivering the Future event that the company’s “two big focus points have been improving delivery speed and reducing cost to serve, and both are important because they improve the customer experience and they drive growth.”

This requires Amazon to, once again, reimagine its operational logistics with next-generation fulfilment centres where robots work alongside humans.

According to demographer Bernard Salt, integrating automation and robotics into the workforce has three distinct positive impacts: workforce expansion, higher-valued jobs and workplace safety.

“Through the reduction of monotonous, repetitive or boring tasks, automation and robotics are also improving job safety, minimising workplace hazards, contributing to a healthier workforce overall,” said Salt. 

Enabling more creativity 

For Amazon Robotics’ principal tech program manager Mikell Taylor, the fact that Amazon’s fleet of industrial robots are specifically designed to solve problems for customers and improve the experience of employees is key.

“Technology should be used to help us retain and grow our talent through skill development and reimagine how we make our workplace better, both in productivity and safety,” said Taylor.

Contrary to the FOBO-led narrative that robots will replace humans, Amazon has created 700 new categories of jobs globally since introducing robotics to its fulfilment centres.

“In Australia, Amazon already has robots working alongside our team in Sydney and similarly, our Melbourne robotics fulfilment centre will create more than 2000 jobs working alongside advanced robotics ranging from entry-level jobs interacting with AI and robotics to pick and pack orders, to higher skilled roles such as engineers and operations managers,” said Taylor.

Not only is the inclusion of robotics seeing Amazon’s workforce expand, it’s also assisting workers to move into more skilled and higher-value positions.

YouGov’s research also discovered that 51 per cent of Australian workers who have had experience with AI have improved efficiency, moreover, 45 per cent have improved productivity and 38 per cent have reduced mundane tasks.

“In a world driven by AI and tech, being open to learning and embracing change is essential,” Salt said.

Adaptability will be a necessity for the future retail workforce both inside and outside of Amazon as the world continues to embrace AI technology.

“Government, business and individual workers are all on the same page when it comes to seeing the benefits that automation and robotics can bring and adapting to this change, suggesting a positive trajectory for the future of work in Australia,” concluded Salt.

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