Amazon Deploys Natural Language Warehouse Robots Amid AI Layoffs

Amazon has introduced an advanced warehouse robot capable of understanding natural language commands from workers, marking a significant step in AI-powered automation even as the company eliminates tens of thousands of corporate positions.

The next-generation Proteus autonomous mobile robot was unveiled at Amazon's Delivering the Future event in London, according to details first reported by CNBC. Workers will be able to direct the robot using plain conversational language rather than technical commands or programming interfaces, a capability designed to streamline warehouse operations.

The original Proteus robot, first deployed in Amazon fulfillment centers in 2022, currently operates in 25 U.S. facilities where it transports heavy carts weighing up to 400 kilograms. The enhanced version is scheduled for European deployment in the first half of 2027, part of a 10 billion euro ($11.6 billion) investment to modernize the company's fulfillment operations across the region.

Why it matters

The timing underscores a fundamental tension in corporate AI adoption: companies are simultaneously investing billions in automation technology while reducing their human workforce. Amazon's approach offers a test case for whether advanced robotics genuinely creates net new jobs or primarily shifts the type of work required, a question with profound implications for labor markets as AI capabilities accelerate.

Workforce reductions continue

Amazon has eliminated 30,000 corporate positions in recent months, cutting 14,000 workers in October 2025 and another 16,000 in January 2026. CEO Andy Jassy told employees that AI will shrink Amazon's workforce in coming years, stating that the company will "need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs."

The cuts are part of a broader industry pattern. AI-related layoffs eliminated over 50,000 U.S. jobs in 2025, with Microsoft, Salesforce, IBM, Block, Oracle, and Meta among companies reducing headcount.

The employment paradox

Amazon executives maintain that robotics investment actually increases employment. "Since we've invested in robotics, we've created hundreds of thousands of jobs," Tye Brady, chief technologist at Amazon Robotics, told CNBC. John Boumphrey, Amazon's vice president and country manager for the U.K. and Ireland, said the company employs more people per square foot in automated facilities and struggles to find workers with appropriate technical skills.

"Our experience of robots is that it's driven up employment rather than the reverse," Boumphrey said, noting that Amazon has created over 6,000 apprenticeships in the U.K. to address skills gaps for positions including robotic technicians and mechatronic engineers.

Not all analysts share this optimism. A 2024 Citi report projected that AI robots will increase to 1.3 billion by 2035 and exceed four billion by 2050. Rob Garlick, formerly of Citi Global Insights, told CNBC in February that economic incentives will drive leaders to replace workers as humanoid robots already offer faster payback periods than human labor.

Additional robotics advances

Beyond the conversational Proteus, Amazon introduced Vulcan, described as its first robot with a sense of touch, and STARK, a robotic tote handling system. These technologies reflect the company's push to expand automation capabilities across its global fulfillment network.

The developments were first reported by CNBC, which attended Amazon's London event and toured company facilities.