Amazon’s “Feeling” Robots Signal a New Reality for Workers in an AI-Driven Future

18/05/2025 18:41 PM
Emma

The future of work in an AI-powered world continues to spark debate in Silicon Valley and beyond. On one hand, some tech leaders believe that robots will eventually handle almost all human jobs—except, of course, their own. Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen has even gone so far as to suggest that tasks like investing (his own line of work) are irreplaceable, immune to automation.

On the other hand, a more nuanced vision is gaining traction—one that sees AI taking over the repetitive and physically demanding tasks, freeing up humans to take on new roles that emerge as a result of automation itself. Historical data supports this idea: The World Economic Forum estimates that 92 million jobs will be displaced, but 170 million new roles will be created globally due to emerging technologies and changing economic structures.

Still, this optimistic view leaves one pressing question largely unanswered: What will happen to the millions of low-wage, low-skilled workers whose roles are most vulnerable to AI and robotics? A recent development from Amazon might offer a glimpse into one possible future.

Meet Vulcan: Amazon’s “Feeling” Robot Designed to Reshape Warehouse Labor

On Wednesday, Amazon introduced “Vulcan,” a new robot capable of mimicking a sense of touch, allowing it to complete warehouse tasks that once required human finesse. Vulcan is part of Amazon’s growing push to automate its fulfillment centers using advanced robotics.

According to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Vulcan is meant to “make work safer by handling ergonomically challenging tasks”—such as retrieving items from high or low shelves that might require humans to strain, bend, or climb. In theory, humans will now focus on mid-level shelving and any items the robot is not yet capable of handling.

Amazon is presenting this change as a worker-friendly improvement, positioning Vulcan not as a replacement for warehouse employees, but as a collaborator. However, the company’s blog post reveals deeper implications: robots now assist in 75% of customer orders, and Amazon is actively training a small subset of its workforce to become robotics technicians.

Retooling Workers: A Real Solution or a Scaled Illusion?

Amazon’s announcement wasn’t just about Vulcan—it also emphasized job retraining programs for warehouse workers interested in shifting into roles like:

Robotic floor monitors
Onsite reliability maintenance engineers
Automation system troubleshooters

These newly created roles reflect Amazon’s broader pivot toward an automated logistics model—but they also underscore a deeper truth: This is not a one-to-one job conversion. For every ten warehouse workers displaced by robots, only a fraction will likely be reskilled or redeployed into technical roles.

The harsh reality is that not everyone has the aptitude, interest, or opportunity to become a robot mechanic or AI systems manager. Some workers may thrive in a new tech-centric environment. Others may fall through the cracks.

This opens up a major societal question: How do we ensure economic inclusion in an AI-dominated labor landscape?

The Rise of “Automation Monitors” and the Deskilling of Labor

One possible outcome is the creation of low-skilled “automation monitor” roles—jobs that require workers to oversee, rather than perform, automated tasks.

Think about how retail has already shifted:

One grocery clerk now supervises five self-checkout machines.
One fast-food employee oversees multiple cooking bots.
A single technician can manage hundreds of robotic picking arms.

In this model, the job isn't eliminated, but its complexity is reduced, often resulting in fewer people doing more work, with lower job satisfaction and less upward mobility.

Operating robots might soon become the new baseline, like using email or Microsoft Word. Basic tech literacy could be a requirement for nearly every low-wage role. But this assumes access to training, reliable internet, and a support system—not a given in many working-class communities.

Why Amazon's Automation Strategy Might Not Be the Norm

Despite Amazon’s scale and robotics investment, this level of automation may not represent the broader economy.

Many retail chains, fast-food restaurants, and logistics firms simply can’t afford Amazon-level AI infrastructure. Even when Amazon tried to sell its “just walk out” Amazon Go technology to grocery chains, the response was lukewarm. Retailers were hesitant to adopt a system created by one of their biggest competitors. Later reports revealed that the system relied heavily on human workers in India to monitor and label video footage, undermining the claim of full automation.

Eventually, Amazon itself scaled back use of the tech.

This suggests that total automation remains cost-prohibitive and operationally complex, at least for now. Most industries still rely heavily on human labor—and may continue to for years, if not decades.

A Glimpse at the Human-AI Workforce Hybrid

Amazon’s Vulcan robot, paired with its retraining programs, reflects a hybrid model that could define the future of work:

Robots take over the physical strain and repetitive precision.
Humans handle edge cases, oversee operations, and evolve into technical roles.
Those left behind face a narrowing set of options.

Whether this results in a renaissance of skilled tech workers or a surplus of displaced laborers depends on how aggressively companies, governments, and educational systems invest in reskilling programs, safety nets, and inclusive policy frameworks.

So far, Amazon is one of the few companies offering any kind of scalable retraining. But it remains unclear if this effort is motivated more by PR strategy or genuine workforce transition planning.

Final Thoughts: The Real AI Test Is Human-Centric

For all the talk of bots doing "icky" jobs or making work safer, the future of AI in labor isn’t just about machines—it’s about people.

It’s about:

Whether automation becomes an engine of shared prosperity or a force for deepening inequality
Whether low-skilled workers are offered real opportunities to adapt
Whether companies like Amazon set the tone for ethical AI-labor practices—or simply pursue efficiency at the expense of humanity

The rollout of Vulcan is not just a story about a robot that can "feel." It's a test of how the AI revolution will reshape power, work, and opportunity for millions of workers whose futures now depend on how companies deploy — or restrain — the bots at their gates.