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Amazon has installed more than a million robots in its warehouses, but none have so far been able to “talk” with human employees. However, a new version of its Proteus robot can now be directed by workers using simple language thanks to an AI upgrade, Amazon announced. “You tell it what needs to be done. It determines the priority, the route, the schedule,” said Scott Dresser, vice president of Amazon Robotics.
Proteus looks like a sturdy Roomba and is designed to move heavy carts and travel long distances within distribution centers. Previously, controlling such robots required the use of custom software. Now, employees can assign tasks to the latest AI-powered models using simple language, just as they would another employee.
This additional intelligence also allows the system to operate all around warehouses rather than only in dock areas as before. This means they can be used to transport containers arriving on site, transfer them between workstations and support employees.
Amazon is testing the new system in its labs, but plans to start using them in Europe in the first half of 2027. It also plans to expand the use of its Vulcan touch robot and introduce another to precisely handle “totes” (smaller containers), called Stark.
Amazon says the new Proteus robots will help employees “focus on higher-skilled tasks, like managing inventory flows and quality control.” He added that such systems improve safety and reduce repetitive work. At the same time, Amazon said it had not replaced human jobs and announced plans to increase its European warehouse workforce by 25,000 people in the coming years. “Since introducing robotics to its operations, Amazon has hired hundreds of thousands of employees worldwide,” the company writes.
However, Amazon has also laid off nearly 30,000 workers over the past year across its retail, web services, Prime Video and other units. The company also doesn’t have a great track record in security. By 2024, the company employed 39 percent of U.S. warehouse workers but was responsible for 56 percent of serious injuries, the Strategic Organizing Center reported last year.
