Robots will outnumber humans in Amazon warehouses

Robots used in warehouses at Amazon , one of the world’s largest technology giants, take on a variety of tasks, from carrying heavy loads to unloading products from shelves to sorting and packaging orders. According to the Wall Street Journal, three-quarters of the company’s global deliveries now rely on robots in some way.

Amazon officials say robots have taken over repetitive tasks, allowing human workers to work on more qualified tasks. According to the company, since the robots have been introduced, new job opportunities have been created, such as warehouse control specialists and maintenance engineers.

PRODUCT MOVEMENT SPEED INCREASED BY 25 PERCENT

For example, in a 280,000-square-foot facility in Louisiana, dozens of robotic arms sort and pack millions of products. Human workers work alongside these robots to fill orders and remove hard-to-reach items from shelves. This hybrid work order has increased the speed at which products move in this facility by 25 percent compared to other warehouses.

Due to robotization, Amazon’s number of employees per facility has fallen to an average of 670, the lowest level in the last 16 years. However, the number of packages per employee has increased from 175 to 3,870 in the last 10 years, breaking productivity records.

CEO Andy Jassy also stated that artificial intelligence technology will take over some jobs, so the number of office workers will decrease in the coming years. However, Jassy stated that new technologies will also create different job areas.

700 THOUSAND EMPLOYEES WERE TRAINED

The company says it has trained more than 700,000 employees worldwide to move into higher-paying jobs in robotics and technology. The new goal is for machines to one day understand voice commands and operate, according to Yesh Dattatreya of the Amazon Robotics team. Amazon has also begun testing humanoid robots in this area.

Amazon's robotics adventure began in 2012 with the purchase of Kiva Systems for $775 million.