Amazon’s recently introduced new warehouse robot, Vulcan, is built and designed around that principle. It has a very unique sense of touch that makes its interaction with the environment outstanding. Vulcan has come to the rescue, marking a big step in the company’s automation movement. It will help make operations more efficient and create safer working environments for every employee. In a recent post on X, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy drove home how radical this robot is. He wanted to call attention to the way it complements human workers, rather than replacing them.
At least according to the glowing descriptions on Amazon’s own blog, Vulcan is meant to pick up items from the very top and bottom shelves of a warehouse. This type of automation is increasingly important in lowering the physical burden of human labor. For one, it prevents them from having to climb ladders or bend down for extended periods of time. The announcement is yet another indication of Amazon’s stated efforts to make its workplaces safer and more efficient.
“Vulcan is helping make work safer by handling ergonomically challenging tasks, while creating opportunities for our teammates to grow their skills in robotics maintenance,” – CEO Andy Jassy
The move comes as part of a national conversation on the effects of automation and AI on workers. Amazon’s previous technology, known as “Just Walk Out,” faced scrutiny after reports revealed that the company utilized humans in India to monitor and label video footage. In the wake of this revelation, Amazon cut back on its use of “Just Walk Out” technology.
In light of these changes, Amazon has initiated a job retraining program designed to equip some workers with essential skills for maintaining robotic systems. This is a promising first step that rewards recognition that the jobs of the future will be different as automation continues to grow across all industries.
Vulcan is the latest example of a burgeoning wave of AI-powered automation that’s reaching warehouse and distribution centers, which have become crucial properties for fulfilling customer orders. As Amazon’s own company blog recently crowed, these bots are responsible for 75% of all customer orders that the company processes. In response, the company invented hundreds of new job types, including robotic floor monitor and onsite reliability maintenance engineer.
“These robots — which play a role in completing 75% of customer orders — have created hundreds of new categories of jobs at Amazon, from robotic floor monitors to onsite reliability maintenance engineers,” – Amazon’s blog post
With AI technology changing by the minute, panels at events such as “TC Sessions AI” on June 5 in Berkeley, CA, will drill down further on all of these obstacles. Some experts are cautioning against a future where humans may rely solely on government-issued welfare due to widespread automation eliminating traditional jobs.
A new and controversial startup created by a prominent AI researcher seeks to replace every single human worker, in every sector of the economy. This bold ambition has ignited a robust public discussion about the ethical implications and practical reality of subjecting all public transit to such a transformation.