Amazon boss tells staff AI means their jobs are at risk
Andrew Jassy told employees AI agents — tools that carry out tasks autonomously — and generative AI systems such as chatbots would require fewer employees in certain areas.
'As we roll out more generative AI and agents, it should change the way our work is done,' he said in a memo to staff.
'We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs.
It's hard to know exactly where this nets out over time, but in the next few years, we expect that this will reduce our total corporate workforce.
Amazon employs 1.5 million people worldwide, with about 350,000 working in corporate jobs such as software engineering and marketing. The retail giant employs 6,500 people in Ireland across Amazon and AWS, including corporate offices, operations sites, data centres and a customer service centre.
At the weekend, the chief executive of the UK telecoms company BT said advances in AI could lead to deeper job cuts at the company, while Dario Amodei, the chief executive of the AI company Anthropic, said last month AI could wipe out half of all entry-level office jobs.
Jassy said in the near future there would be billions of AI agents working across companies and in people's daily lives.
'There will be billions of these agents across every company and in every imaginable field. There will also be agents that routinely do things for you outside of work, from shopping to travel to daily chores and tasks. Many of these agents have yet to be built, but make no mistake, they're coming, and coming fast,' he said.
Jassy ended the memo by urging employees to be 'curious about AI' and to 'educate yourself' in the technology and take training courses.
Those who embrace this change, become conversant in AI, help us build and improve our AI capabilities internally and deliver for customers, will be well-positioned to have high impact and help us reinvent the company.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development — an influential international policy organisation — has estimated the technology could trigger job losses in skilled white-collar professions such as law, medicine and finance.
The International Monetary Fund has calculated 60% of jobs in advanced economies such as the US and UK are exposed to AI and half of these jobs may be negatively affected.
However, the Tony Blair Institute, which has called for widespread adoption of AI in the public and private sectors, has said the technology could displace up to three million private sector jobs in the UK, but the net loss will be mitigated by the technology creating new roles.
The Guardian
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
AI screening of J1 students' social media 'prone to error', says Irish-American lobby group
A prominent Irish-American lobby group has hit out at the new requirements for J1 visas, and raised fears that artificial intelligence screening of social media accounts will be 'used extensively and is prone to error'. The Ancient Order of Hibernians said it had 'deep concerns' over the US Government directive requiring a review of up to five years of social media activity for every J1 visa applicant, which gives consular officers 'broad discretionary authority'. 'But without clear, objective criteria — and human oversight of AI screenings — we risk eroding the integrity of the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program, chilling participation among young applicants, depriving US government, businesses, educational and cultural institutions of essential summer interns, and weakening the longstanding ties that bind our nations,' its political education chair Neil F Cosgrove said. Irish students usually travel in large numbers to the United States each summer on J1 visas but, under the Trump administration, they now have to adjust the privacy settings on all their social media profiles to public. The US State Department recently announced it would now 'conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence, of all student and exchange visitor applicants' under the new guidance. The Ancient Order of Hibernians said given the way this vetting could be applied, this policy threatens one of America's most successful cultural and economic partnerships with Ireland. It said that officers may reach 'inconsistent decisions' as terms like 'hostility' and 'advocacy', which are meant to be flagged during screening, lack objective benchmarks. For students, the five-year look back on their social media will reach back to their early teens and could lead to treating youthful social media activity before maturity as some form of a security threat to the US, it said. It went on: 'Given the volume of applicants and the vast data set — five years of social media activity per person — we anticipate AI screening will be used extensively and is prone to error. 'In April 2025, PhD student Suguru Onda was wrongly flagged by an AI-driven criminal records check over a minor fishing limit citation in his home country of Japan, leading to an abrupt visa cancellation.' In the case of Mr Onda, his visa was reinstated but J1 students could find themselves already sent home before an error is corrected. The group added that the programme helps to fuel critical US sectors such as hospitality and tourism and businesses on the ground would feel the loss of Irish summer workers. It called on congress and policymakers to exclude any social media content from before someone turned 18, while requiring actual human checks of AI-generated flagged content along with a quarterly report on the use of AI screenings. Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (Amlé), formerly the Union of Students in Ireland, has also raised significant concerns about the measures and said they send a "damaging signal". Read More US visa crackdown is an assault on students' rights
Irish Independent
7 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Wicklow-Wexford chair of AI committee wants it to ‘lead public debate' on new tech
Chair of the new Oireachtas committee on artificial intelligence (AI), Deputy Malcolm Byrne, has said the committee aims to 'lead public debate' on the merits of the new technology and that it will explore the necessary 'guardrails' to ensure its safe use in the healthcare, education and energy sectors. Led by Wicklow-Wexford TD Malcolm Byrne, the AI committee – like other Oireachtas committees – will advise the Houses of the Oireachtas, receive submissions and presentations from members of the public, interest groups and government departments, while scrutinising government expenditure and debating proposed legislation. Encouraging individuals and interested organisations to submit views on issues they would like to see investigated, Deputy Byrne said the groundbreaking technology could make the delivery of public services more efficient, improve healthcare outcomes and 'speed up many of the mundane tasks in many jobs', but cautioned there will be challenges, and 'guardrails must be in place to ensure AI is designed and used safely'. 'The first public meeting of the committee took place last week, and the 14-member body will be examining issues in modular form from the autumn, looking at themes such as AI and healthcare, AI and education and AI and Energy,' the Fianna Fáil deputy said. 'I was honoured to be asked to Chair this Committee as how technology affects our lives really interests me, and I had been pushing to get such a committee established during the last Oireachtas 'There are a number of organisations and companies in Wicklow and Wexford already using AI in their processes, and it will soon be essential that everyone has some knowledge of this new tech.'
The Irish Sun
10 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Amazon shoppers risk bank-emptying nightmare in days as expert reveals 5 ‘red flags' that mean you could lose £100s
EXPERTS have revealed the 5 "red flags" to look out for in a bid to protect online shoppers from scams, as millions gear up for Amazon Prime Day. New research conducted by Advertisement 1 Amazon shoppers warned of scams that are becoming harder to spot Credit: Getty Scams becoming harder to spot According to Abhishek Karnik, the Head of Threat Research at McAfee: "As inflation and tariffs push more people to hunt for deals, "From retailer impersonations to hyper-realistic delivery Experts reveal 5 'red flags' In light of this new growing threat, the Urgent language demanding immediate action ("Your account will be closed in 24 hours!"). Requests for payment via gift cards, wire transfers or cash. Claims that you need to "verify" or "legalise" your money. Transfers to "goverment agencies" during the same call. Pressure to keep the call secret or not hang up. Tech news McAfee also emphasised that Amazon will never call you about suspicious account activity or unauthorised purchases. Advertisement Further advice includes, using Amazon's Message Centre, and never giving personal information, passwords, or payment details over the phone. Mr Karnik added: "The good news is that the tools to fight back are getting smarter too. "The best way to stay safe is to pause before you click, trust your instincts, and use AI-powered protection like McAfee's Scam Detector to stay one step ahead." Most read in Tech Exclusive On how to protect your shopping experience, McAfee advised that you enable two-factor authentication on your Amazon account, use strong and unique passwords, and only shop on secure websites. Advertisement It also suggests you monitor your bank and credit card statements regularly, never click on suspicious emails, and, most importantly, trust your gut. I tested the viral £17.99 Amazon underseat cabin bag to see how many outfits I could fit in McAfee identified older adults as particularly at risk, while platforms like TikTok shop and Instagram Shopping are fast becoming hot spots for scam exposure. Scammers strike again Earlier this year, Amazon shoppers were also advised to watch out for In March, Amazon released an official list of the four "common scam trends" that users needed to look out for, ahead of its spring sale. Advertisement Among the list, were prime membership scams whereby cybercriminals attempted to convince shoppers that they needed to reinstate their membership. How to protect yourself from scams BY keeping these tips in mind, you can avoid getting caught up in a scam: Firstly, remember that if something seems too good to be true, it normally is. Check brands are "verified" on Facebook and Twitter pages - this means the company will have a blue tick on its profile. Look for grammatical and spelling errors; fraudsters are notoriously bad at writing proper English. If you receive a message from a 'friend' informing you of a freebie, consider whether it's written in your friend's normal style. If you're invited to click on a URL, hover over the link to see the address it will take you to – does it look genuine? To be on the really safe side, don't click on unsolicited links in messages, even if they appear to come from a trusted contact. Be careful when opening email attachments too. Fraudsters are increasingly attaching files, usually PDFs or spreadsheets, which contain dangerous malware. If you receive a suspicious message then report it to the company, block the sender and delete it. If you think you've fallen for a scam, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use its
