Amazon's robot army may be even bigger than anticipated

[Amazon fulfillment center building in Las Vegas]
4kodiak/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AMZN]) is considering plans to boost its robot automation to the point that it can replace 600,000 jobs it would have otherwise had to hire for before 2033, according to the New York Times.

Internal documents seen by the New York Times indicate that Amazon's (NASDAQ:AMZN [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AMZN]) robotics team is working towards automating 75% of the company’s entire operations and expects to remove 160,000 U.S. roles that would otherwise be needed by 2027. The estimated savings would be about 30 cents on every item that Amazon warehouses and delivers to customers, meaning tens of billions could be saved before 2030 if the e-commerce giant leans into automation.

Earlier this year, Amazon (AMZN [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AMZN]) deployed its one millionth robot to a fulfillment center in Japan, close to the number of humans working at its facilities, as the e-commerce giant continues to expand the world's largest fleet of industrial mobile robots. Around 75% of the company's global deliveries are now assisted in some way by robotics, and its fleet spans more than 300 facilities worldwide.

Amazon (AMZN [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AMZN]) is looking at ways to be a good corporate citizen as it prepares for the backlash of having fewer human-filled jobs in the future. The Seattle-based company is considering participating in community projects and using terms like "cobot" for robots that work alongside humans, while de-emphasizing terms such as "AI" and "automation" for "advanced technology."

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