Tech companies have been pouring billions into artificial intelligence this year in the wake of the AI and data center boom.
But a coalition of Amazon employees says the company’s AI usage is happening alongside rising global temperatures, political instability, and “a more militarized surveillance state with fewer protections for ordinary people,” according to Fortune.
They said they’re watching the company push them toward “warp-speed” adoption of AI while walking back environmental goals.
What’s happening?
More than 1,000 Amazon employees signed a letter addressed to CEO Andy Jassy and senior leadership, according to Fortune. The employees, including workers across roles such as cashiers to IT support, said Amazon is forcing teams to use unnecessary tools and is cutting jobs while funneling money into AI.
Amazon disputed claims that it has abandoned sustainability commitments. The company told Fortune it believes these concerns “ignore the facts,” pointing to its investments in renewable power, including more than 600 renewable energy projects and advanced nuclear energy agreements.
Why is this letter important?
Amazon’s environmental footprint is tied directly to pollution output from transportation, data centers, and product manufacturing. Transportation-related pollution takes up more than 16% of global planet-warming gas output, according to Our World in Data, and according to Amazon, its annual pollution output has risen 6% since last year, as cited by Fortune.
The letter warned that reintroduction of an AI-based police footage request tool for Ring doorbell would hand a huge amount of power to government agencies and companies moving forward without safeguards.
Workers also argued that the more Amazon leans into AI expansion, the more energy and infrastructure the company consumes. They noted the rapid AI rollout comes at the same time leadership is cutting jobs and demanding more output from the people who remain.
This is all happening as other analysts say Big Tech’s investments into AI are pushing the industry in a worrying direction. A Goldman Sachs expert said today’s AI spending is a transition from the last 30 years that hasn’t been witnessed during prior tech booms.
What’s being done about Amazon’s AI usage?
The Amazon employees called for Amazon to detail a public plan for powering data centers with renewable energy and to give workers a say in deciding how AI is used across the company, as per the letter. They also asked leadership to pledge that Amazon’s AI will not be used for violence, surveillance, or mass deportation.
For workers seeking to influence company decisions, advocating internally for better environmental standards is one way employees can push their workplaces toward more responsible and beneficial choices.
That’s the goal of the Amazon workers in the letter, seeking to keep AI priorities on making life easier, not increasing surveillance or risking the deepening of financial and environmental harm.
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