AI rush risks 'democracy, jobs, earth', warn over 1,000 Amazon workers

The employees said Amazon's "all-costs justified, warp speed" approach to the powerful technology will have an impact on the workplace and the environment

More than 1,000 Amazon employees have signed an open letter expressing “serious concerns” about artificial intelligence (AI) development, a month after the company announced mass layoff plans to increase the use of AI in its operations, the Guardian reported on Friday.

 

Amazon's “all-costs justified, warp speed” approach to the technology will cause damage to “democracy, to our jobs, and to the earth,” the employees said in the letter published on Wednesday and signed anonymously by company workers.

 

The report also said the signatories are employed in a range of positions, including engineers, product managers and warehouse associates.

 

The workers issued a range of demands for Amazon in the letter, concerning the firm's impact on the workplace and the environment. Staffers are calling on the company to power all its data centres with clean energy; ensure its AI-powered products and services do not enable “violence, surveillance and mass deportation”; and form a working group comprising non-managers “that will have significant ownership over org-level goals and how or if AI should be used in their orgs, how or if AI-related layoffs or headcount freezes are implemented, and how to mitigate or minimise the collateral effects of AI use, such as environmental impact”.

 

'Amazon AI plans against its climate goals'

 

The letter accused the company of “casting aside its climate goals to build AI”. It claims that Amazon’s annual emissions have “grown roughly 35 per cent since 2019”, despite the company’s pledge in 2019 to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040. It warns that many of Amazon’s investments in AI infrastructure will be in “locations where their energy demands will force utility companies to keep coal plants online or build new gas plants”.

 

Amazon reverses pandemic hiring spree

 

A month ago, Reuters reported, citing sources, that Amazon is planning to cut as many as 30,000 corporate jobs as the company pares expenses and compensates for overhiring during the peak demand of the pandemic.

 

Later, Amazon confirmed the plans to lay off staff. However, it said that 14,000 corporate workers will be laid off to reverse a pandemic hiring spree, as it seeks to cut costs and slim down its operation.