Amazon now has nearly as many robots as human workers in its warehouses

Amazon (Image credit: AFP)

Amazon is on the verge of a historic shift in how it operates its warehouses: the number of robots on its factory floors is nearing parity with that of its human employees. The e-commerce giant has now had more than one million robots installed in its businesses across the globe, a record high that shows how automation has penetrated into Amazon's logistics and fulfilment model, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The accomplishment is just part of a grand transformation of the company's labour model. It began over a decade ago when Amazon bought Kiva Systems for $775 million, which manufactured robots that travel on mobile shelving. It is now a very advanced robotics system that handles around 75% of all Amazon deliveries worldwide.

Robot arms, self-directed robots and AI installations do the work in warehouses

At places like the 3-million-square-foot Shreveport, Louisiana, warehouse, robots perform an increasing array of tasks—everything from picking and sorting products to assisting with packaging and transporting goods across the floor. New robots like Vulcan even possess a sense of touch, allowing them to lift goods from shelves more nimbly.

Amazon has also introduced these robots more directly into its fulfilment centres, making it possible for more people to work alongside machines. Workers now prefer to be robotic system managers, monitoring fleets of mobile robots or debugging automated errors, rather than doing repetitive physical tasks themselves.

Neisha Cruz, previously a warehouse picker, now earns 2.5 times her original salary as she oversees robotic work from a command centre in Tempe, Arizona, from a distance. "I was thinking I was going to be lifting heavy," she said, recalling how shocked she was when the company transitioned to technology jobs.

Fewer people, more efficiency

While Amazon currently has nearly 1.56 million employees globally, its average per-building is at an all-time 16-year low. As a study done by the Wall Street Journal found, Amazon workers individually now handle approximately 3,870 packages annually—down from 175 packages annually in 2015—highlighting the cost benefit of automation.

The trend is exemplified most strongly in newer same-day delivery facilities, where workers' footprints are limited while high-speed robots are utilized. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently said the company is also utilizing artificial intelligence to automate robot activity and inventory staging, and will reduce its total headcount in the long term.

New jobs are created, but fears persist

To adapt to the change, Amazon has trained more than 700,000 employees globally for more advanced roles in robotics, mechatronics, and repair. Even a new AI unit in the Bay Area is building future robots to be voice-controlled—capable of understanding commands such as "unload that trailer."

However, critics are forecasting long-term consequences. Sheheryar Kaoosji, of the Warehouse Worker Resource Center, referred to Amazon's proposal as a "pretty dramatic reduction of staff in high-density warehouses." He did admit that smaller warehouses were less affected, but referred to the company's overall proposal as a concern to labour activists.

Amazon, however, insists that there is still a need for human labour. "We're not replacing people," Amazon Robotics chief technologist Tye Brady said. "We're augmenting them."

While Amazon pilots Agility Robotics' humanoid robots, which have recycling duties, the company maintains that it is not looking to replace workers, but to make warehouse labour safer, more efficient, and more skilled.

Whether that vow is fulfilled in the long run is a question today—not just for Amazon employees, but for the future of work in a world under increasing machine control.