Amazon Previews new Human Roles in an AI-driven World
The tech industry appears divided on the role of human workers in the AI-driven world they’re shaping. Some believe that bots will take over all jobs, except maybe their own. (For example, VC Marc Andreessen thinks his work as an investor is immune to automation).
Some believe bots will handle tedious tasks, allowing humans to take on new roles created by the AI revolution. This view is backed by historical evidence. The World Economic Forum forecasts that 92 million jobs may be displaced, but 170 million new jobs will emerge.
What’s Next for Low-Skilled and Unskilled Workers
For those unable to afford or pursue a master’s in AI and machine learning, particularly unskilled workers, what does the future hold in a world dominated by bots?
On Wednesday, Amazon gave a glimpse of one possible direction by unveiling significant progress in replacing warehouse workers with its new Vulcan robot, which has the ability to “feel.”
“Vulcan is improving workplace safety by taking on physically demanding tasks and opening up new opportunities for our team members to develop skills in robotics maintenance,” CEO Andy Jassy shared on X.
Humans and Bots Team Up
Amazon’s blog post on Vulcan highlights how the robot will assist humans by retrieving items from the warehouse’s highest and lowest shelves, reducing the need for workers to climb or crouch. Meanwhile, humans will handle items stored at mid-levels or those the new “feeling” robot still struggles to grasp.
Amazon also mentions that it’s training a select group of warehouse employees to become robot technicians, as the company increasingly relies on bots to handle more of the warehouse picking tasks.
The blog states that robots now handle 75% of customer orders at Amazon, creating new job categories like robotic floor monitors and maintenance engineers. The company also offers a retraining program to help employees gain skills for robotic maintenance roles.
Amazon’s Robot-Driven Workforce Evolution
The blog explains that robots now fulfill 75% of orders at Amazon, creating new jobs like robotic floor monitors and maintenance engineers. The company also offers retraining programs for employees to gain skills for these roles.
However, Amazon’s decision to include details about its retraining program in the same announcement as Vulcan is significant.
There’s little evidence of what life would be like for the working class if robots take all the jobs. One AI startup founder even suggested that humans might rely on government welfare in such a scenario.
Managing Robots as a Key Employment Skill
However, instead of grocery clerks, there could be “automation monitors,” similar to how a clerk oversees the self-checkout lanes today. Fast-food cooks might be replaced by workers managing cooking robots, and the pattern would continue across other industries. Operating robots could become as essential as computer skills for staying employable.
On the other hand, this fully automated future may never fully come to pass. Bots may remain limited to large, wealthy companies like Amazon or industries such as automotive manufacturing, while most retail, restaurant, and transportation jobs could still be done by humans for decades.
Amazon is the company that first aimed to expand its just-walk-out Go technology to retail and grocery sectors. The retail industry, Amazon’s main competitor, wasn’t receptive. It was revealed that the technology relied on humans in India for video labeling, and Amazon scaled back its use. As a result, such technology (from Amazon or others) is scarcely seen in the real world today.
Read the original article on: Techcrunch
Leave a Reply