Since 2022, Amazon has already cut its workforce significantly: more than 27,000 positions have been eliminated, out of a total of around 1.5 million. And it's far from over. Andy Jassy, who succeeded Jeff Bezos as CEO in 2020, published an open letter compiling his "thoughts on generative AI."
Fewer humans, more AI agents
Aimed at both his troops and the general public, this message aims to convince people of the benefits of this "rare" technology, which comes "once in a lifetime" and which "changes what is possible for consumers and our business." Obviously, Amazon is using generative AI for the new version of its assistant, Alexa+.
But AI is also at work in several shopping functions, to recommend a size for clothing for example, or to find an object from a photo. Andy Jassy also recalls the use of the technology for Amazon's advertising activity: 50,000 advertisers used it in the first quarter for their campaigns.
The Amazon boss also says all the good things he thinks about AI agents, which will "profoundly transform the way we work and live." These agents, capable of performing all kinds of tasks, will become established "in all sectors." In essence, he assures that AI agents will act "like teammates" who will become more relevant as they are used.
More than 1,000 services related to generative AI are already being developed or deployed within Amazon. And the company intends to accelerate... which may well cause social disruption. "We will need fewer people to perform certain tasks performed today, and more people for other types of missions," explains Andy Jassy, who does not provide any figures.
In warehouses, which represent the bulk of Amazon's workforce, the company has long used robots and continues to add more to optimize package handling. The group is even considering using autonomous robots for package delivery.
Source: Amazon
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