Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, in a memo to his employees, has explained that Amazon will need “fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today” in reference to AI adoption.
Currently, Amazon has 1.56 million employees worldwide, and Jassy is encouraging employees to familiarise themselves with AI, while also reminding them of the harsh truth that AI may replace them.
Mass Layoffs
Amazon is not the first company to go AI-first. Shopify, Spotify, and Duolingo are some major companies that have already gone AI-first.
All of these companies prioritise AI over human hires, with Spotify laying off 1,500 employees or 17% of its entire workforce in December 2023, and famously using AI to design Spotify Wrapped 2024.
Shopify, in 2023, cut almost 20% of its entire workforce to focus on increased efficiency with the use of AI.
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Duolingo announced just over a month ago that it would go AI-first and reduce its contractors.
In 2023, they also reduced their workforce by 10%, which mostly consisted of translators.
All of these layoffs are what CEOs consider a step towards the future, and moving forward, these companies intend to only hire human employees who are well-versed in AI and are completely necessary for the company.
Public Outrage
Just like others, the Amazon CEO is already facing backlash from employees and the public for his AI-first vision.
A month ago, when Duolingo announced its AI-first plans, the public was furious, with many loyal users quitting their longest streaks as a form of protest.
Some users commented: “AI first, humans last”.
Users quickly related this to Spotify Wrapped 2024, which was made mostly by AI, complaining about how the human creativity and vibrance would soon be gone from Duolingo, just like it had gone from Spotify Wrapped.
While Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn came out recently, reversing his AI-first decision, not all CEOs are budging.
Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify, continues to emphasise the focus on AI and assures the public that AI is only for the betterment of Spotify. In fact, he recently invested over $600 million in an AI project and spoke of how AI can enhance musical creativity.
Is this just a glimpse into the future?
It’s starting to seem more than ever that AI may actually entirely take over our lives, whether we like it or not.
AI may not have personality, but it has efficiency, and as the name suggests, intelligence. To CEOs, that is what matters.
For CEOs, AI is a way to maximise profits, and maybe AI first truly is humans’ last.
This is not something that can be taken lightly and may become a serious threat to future generations.