Amazon has deployed its one-millionth warehouse robot, marking a symbolic milestone as its robotic fleet nears the size of its human workforce, which stands at roughly 1.56 million—including about 1.2 million warehouse employees. This milestone comes amid a surge in automation: about 75% of Amazon’s global deliveries now involve robotic systems at some stage.

These robots—ranging from shelf-moving “Hercules” bots to dexterous “Vulcans” with tactile sensing—are powered by DeepFleet, Amazon’s latest generative-AI model. DeepFleet improves travel efficiency by 10%, reducing congestion and speeding up order processing.

Automation has driven staffing at Amazon fulfillment centers to an average of just 670 workers per site—the leanest in over 16 years—while dramatically boosting output, with each employee now responsible for nearly 3,870 packages annually, up from just 175. While some workers have transitioned to higher-paying technical roles—Amazon reports 700,000+ employees have been upskilled for robotics maintenance and engineering —CEO Andy Jassy has warned of further corporate staff reductions as AI integration expands.

Amazon emphasizes that robotics support, not replace, humans—handling repetitive or strenuous tasks to improve safety and efficiency. Yet, analysts caution that continued automation could accelerate job displacements, especially in white-collar and administrative roles.

As Amazon approaches parity between robotic and human workers in its warehouses, the company enters a pivotal phase in automating logistics—a model likely to influence future labor practices across industries.