More than 1,000 Amazon employees signed an open letter that expresses serious concerns about AI development. According to The Guardian, workers say the company’s approach to AI will damage democracy, jobs, and the earth. The letter was published on Wednesday and signed anonymously. Signatories include engineers, product managers, and warehouse associates.
The letter came one month after Amazon announced mass layoff plans. The company is increasing its adoption of AI in operations. More than 2,400 workers from Meta, Google, Apple, and Microsoft also supported the letter.
Climate and Energy Demands
Workers accuse Amazon of casting aside its climate goals to build AI. The letter claims the company’s annual emissions have grown roughly 35% since 2019. Amazon promised in 2019 to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040.
Amazon plans to spend $150 billion on data centers in the next 15 years. The company recently said it will invest $15 billion to build data centers in northern Indiana. It also plans at least $3 billion for data centers in Mississippi.
Workers warn many investments will be in locations where energy demands will force utility companies to keep coal plants online or build new gas plants. A customer researcher said AI is being used as a magic word that is code for less worker power and hoarding of more resources.
Company Response
Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser pushed back on employee claims. He pointed toward the company’s climate goals. Glasser said Amazon is the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy for five consecutive years. The company has over 600 projects globally.
Workplace Pressure and Productivity
Three Amazon employees told The Guardian the company is pressuring them to use AI tools for productivity. One software engineer said she was told weeks ago that she was expected to do twice as much work because of AI tools. She expressed concern that output expected with fewer people is unsustainable.
A senior software engineer who has been with the company for over a decade said he signed the letter because of leadership’s increasing emphasis on arbitrary productivity metrics and quotas. He said AI is used as justification to push workers to work longer hours and push out more projects on tighter deadlines.
Workers emphasized they are not against AI outright. They want it developed sustainably and with input from the people building and using it.
