Amazon is testing humanoid robots in its warehouses to automate repetitive tasks and free up human workers for other duties. The robot, called Digit, has arms and legs and can move, grasp, and handle items like a human. The company argues that this technology can help employees deliver better service to customers. Amazon claims that its robotics systems have actually created hundreds of thousands of new jobs, including 700 categories of skilled roles that didn’t exist before. Currently, Amazon has over 750,000 robots working collaboratively with human staff, mainly for highly repetitive tasks. The company’s robotics chief technologist emphasized that people are irreplaceable and that fully automated warehouses are unlikely to become a reality. Human workers are essential for their ability to think at a higher level and diagnose problems.
