Amazon runs over 1 million robots alongside its human workers
The company plans to grow its robot fleet while it keeps more than 1.5 million human employees.
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1 million
Robots working in Amazon warehouses
Image: Ars Technica
1 millionRobots working in Amazon warehouses
The short version
- Amazon has more than 1 million robots working in its warehouses.
- Amazon is also the second-largest corporate employer, with more than 1.5 million full-time and part-time human workers, according to its 2025 annual report.
- Amazon says the robots take on the toughest fulfillment center tasks, but labor groups and independent researchers point to evidence that warehouse automation driven by AI is not all upside for workers.
- Amazon CFO Brian Olsavsky said in July that the company expects to more than double its existing fleet of robotic arms this year.
Why it matters
The story shows how AI models now coordinate large robot fleets. Amazon uses a suite called DeepFleet to predict robot congestion, and machine learning raised the success rate of robotic arm picks in one trial. For developers, it is a large-scale case of AI systems working in physical environments next to people.
“The rise of collaborative robots really changes that dynamic for two reasons”