Amazon will replace 600,000 humans with robots by 2033

As the world prepares for the era of autonomous artificial intelligence, Amazon appears to want to accelerate that future. The company presented two new systems, the Blue Jay robot, and the Eluna project, an autonomous reasoning artificial intelligence that promise to revolutionize the operation of its gigantic logistics centers, but the announcement was accompanied by disturbing rumors, the replacement of up to 600,000 human jobs by machines by the year 2033.

Amazon's stated objective is to make the work environment safer and more efficient, reducing repetitive tasks and optimizing operations, but behind that speech doubt grows; Is automation helping humans (business owners) or is it slowly making us unnecessary?

The first system called Blue Jay works as a set of coordinated robotic arms capable of picking, storing and consolidating products in a single workspace, something that previously required three different stations. In less than a year, the project went from concept to practice thanks to digital twins and advanced machine learning algorithms, but the real change comes with the Eluna project, an agentic AI that acts as a virtual colleague for managers.

This intelligence collects data from sensors and cameras in real time, anticipates bottlenecks and suggests operational actions; a form of automated reasoning that can replace decisions previously reserved for humans. In addition, Amazon presented the iLMDA smart glasses, equipped with a camera, screen and already integrated, designed for drivers and delivery people, they recognize delivery locations, record images, and even help with navigation.

The company claims the goal is to ease the workload, but critics see a movement of increasing surveillance and control over workers; Meanwhile, the New York Times claims to have obtained internal documents that point to a large-scale automation plan, according to the report, Amazon would be preparing a fleet of robots and autonomous systems capable of replacing hundreds of thousands of jobs in less than a decade.

The company, however, denies any intention to lay off and assures that it continues to actively hire, but the issue goes beyond a single conglomerate, what is at stake is the role of human beings in a world that is being created where machines think, decide and execute. Each new advancement in automation promises efficiency, but it also pushes the limit of what was once exclusively human a little further. The doubt remains. Are we creating machines to help us or preparing the ground for the day when we are no longer needed?