Latest news with #JoshuaBrewer
Forbes
02-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Amazon's AI And Robotic Investments Signal A Growing Human Workforce
The Inc. BHM1 fulfillment center is seen before sunrise on March 29, 2021 in Bessemer, ... More Alabama. - Votes are set to be counted on March 29, 2021 on whether to create the first Amazon union in the United States, at a warehouse in Alabama, after a historic, five months-long David vs Goliath campaign. "I'm proud of the workers at Amazon for standing up and saying enough," said Joshua Brewer, the local president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) Leave it to traditional media to miss the point. Specifically, all the recent coverage of Amazon CEO Andy Jassy's comment that AI advances would empower the Seattle technology and retail giant to replace human effort in its executive suite. The insinuation has been that Amazon is positioning itself to permanently downsize its roster of human workers that require nights and weekends off, lunch and bathroom breaks, and - gasp – vacations. Quite the opposite. As these columns have been arguing for years, Amazon spends enormous sums on the automation of human effort to enhance the productivity of the same humans in its employ. What's true in its warehouses is similarly true for its executives. Investment in automation and thought is not about shrinking its workforce, rather it's about automating what saps human effort to substantially expand that same human productivity. It's already revealing itself. Think a Wall Street Journal article from this week that indicated 'There will soon be as many robots as humans' in Amazon's warehouses. Well, of course. Why on earth would Amazon invest such substantial amounts in human capital with an eye on shedding it? Humans aren't a cost, they're an input. Amazon's sizable investment in AI and other robotic advances (said to be over $70 billion in 2025 alone) plainly isn't taking place to jettison the humans it's put so much money into, but to elevate them. That's why the proliferation of robots in Amazon's warehouses won't occur to the employment detriment of the humans working alongside them as much as it will increase the urgency of expanding its human workforce. Think about it. And in thinking about it, contemplate what happens to the productivity of humans when their work is paired with other hands, human and mechanical. It skyrockets, and the reason it skyrockets has to do with the happy fact that specialized workers are exponentially more productive. What this foretells about Amazon warehouses that will almost certainly grow in both size and number is that the powerful need for Amazon to hire many more capable workers will grow by leaps and bounds. See its investment in robotic and AI advances yet again. Every dollar spent propels the effort of humans to greater and greater heights. What's true in Amazon's warehouses will be true within its various executive suites. That AI advances have the capacity to replace so much human effort is a certain sign that the value of human effort within Amazon's executive workforce is set to soar. This is what a media stalked by zero-sum thinking failed to grasp in Jassy's comment. Naturally Amazon's AI investment will render redundant a lot of human effort. Technology by its very name replaces human effort, but never at the expense of opportunity. If technological advances were the path to breadlines, then logic indicates the world's poorest locales would be its most technologically advanced. Which is backwards. More realistically, progress is defined not by what workers are doing on the job, but what they're no longer doing. Assuming Amazon's copious investment in AI and robotics bears fruit, it will have a much larger workforce employed in much better, much more productive ways than a much smaller workforce toiled before the automation. The future is bright for Amazon, and humans in general, exactly because Amazon and other corporations like it think so much of their existing and future workers as to invest in technology that will free them from substantial amounts of wasted effort. The growing number of robots in its warehouses is yet more evidence of this brilliant truth.
Time of India
16-06-2025
- Time of India
Brisbane man charged with torturing newborn in city's southwest
A man has been charged with torture after an investigation into alleged child abuse in Brisbane 's southwest. The case pertains to a seven-week-old baby boy who was taken to the hospital in March 2025. Police claimed that a seven-week-old boy was brought to Queensland Children's Hospital unresponsive on March 5, 2025, according to media reports. 'It will be alleged that medical examinations at the time revealed that the boy had sustained extensive injuries consistent with prolonged and repeated physical abuse,' the Queensland Police Service (QPS) said in a statement. An investigation was launched into the matter, and the boy was removed from the care of a 27-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman. The 27-year-old Forest Lake man has been charged with three counts of assault causing bodily harm and one count of torture. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like War Thunder - Register now for free and play against over 75 Million real Players War Thunder Play Now Undo According to NT News, in the body-worn camera footage released by police officers, they were seen arresting the man at a property and escorting him to a waiting vehicle. The 27-year-old was refused police bail and is due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday (June 16). Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Joshua Brewer called the alleged incident 'deeply confronting' and praised the detectives investigating it. 'This was a deeply confronting matter for (detectives) to undertake, given it involved a vulnerable infant sustaining serious injuries,' he said, NT News reported. Live Events 'Detectives worked with care and determination to take appropriate action to remove the child from harm. This investigation highlights the importance of community diligence—if members of the public are aware of or suspect child abuse, they are encouraged to report it to police,' Brewer added.
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Queensland baby is allegedly tortured and assaulted by 27-year-old man
A man will face court after he was charged with the torture and assault of a seven-week-old baby. Police began investigating after the boy was taken to Queensland Children's Hospital unresponsive on March 5. Medical examinations revealed the baby had sustained extensive injuries consistent with 'prolonged and repeated physical abuse'. As detectives investigated, the baby was removed from the care of a 27-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman. Following a months-long investigation, police have now charged the 27-year-old Forest Lake man with three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and one count of torture. 'This was a deeply confronting matter for Child Protection and Investigation Unit detectives to undertake given it involved a vulnerable infant sustaining serious injuries,' Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Joshua Brewer said. He was refused police bail to face Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.
News.com.au
09-05-2025
- News.com.au
Man accused of supplying drugs, committing offences against 14yo
A 40-year-old North Ipswich man has been charged with 30 offences following an investigation by the Inala Child Protection and Investigation Unit (CPIU) into the alleged supply of drugs and other serious offences involving a teenage girl. Police allege the man met the 14-year-old victim online and, over a nine-month period, supplied her with methylamphetamine and committed multiple offences against her. He was arrested on May 7 and is facing 30 charges – eight counts each of supply dangerous drugs to minor under 16 and engage in penile intercourse with a child under 16, seven counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16, four counts of making child exploitation material, and one count each of using internet to procure children under 16, supply dangerous drugs and conspiracy to defile. He is expected to appear before the Richlands Magistrates Court on May 14. Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Joshua Brewer praised the alleged victim for her courage. 'I commend the victim-survivor for her significant bravery in coming forward and helping police hold the alleged perpetrator to account,' Sergeant Brewer said. 'If there is anyone else out there who has experienced offending of this nature, I want to reassure you that what has happened to you is not your fault and you are not alone. 'We are here, ready to listen to any victim-survivor. Our officers can help connect you to support services.' 'Offences of this nature are reprehensible, and the service is committed to pursuing all investigative avenues to protect victim-survivors and hold offenders to account.'
