Amazon operates the largest robotic workforce in the world, deploying more than 1 million robots in warehouses to handle tens of millions of same-day and one-day package deliveries daily. The company plans to significantly expand this fleet in coming years by establishing new factories to produce increasingly capable robot workers. This expansion occurs while Amazon remains the second-largest corporate employer globally, with more than 1.5 million full-time and part-time human workers according to its 2025 annual report.
Amazon executives state that the growing robot fleet has eased the burden on human employees by taking on the toughest fulfillment center tasks. These tasks carry the greatest risks of physical fatigue and injury. However, labor advocacy groups and independent researchers argue that warehouse automation driven by AI is not entirely beneficial for the humans working alongside these machines.
Brian Greenwood, a professor of business at George Mason University, told Ars that for the last 100 years, most automation has occurred away from workers, removing high-risk tasks in a manner that is not physically proximate. Greenwood explained that the rise of collaborative robots changes this dynamic for two reasons: they are physically proximate to humans, and they have the ability to dictate the pace of work.