By Greg Bensinger
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Amazon wants customers to know that artificial intelligence is not just for writing college essays.
In a series of announcements Wednesday, Amazon demonstrated how stockroom robots, delivery people and its sprawling warehouses will all benefit from a hefty dose of artificial intelligence, speeding packages to customer doorsteps.
The company said it is forming a new group at its Lab126 device unit focused on creating warehouse robots that will perform multiple tasks when prompted, a significant advance over today’s robots that typically are designed for a singular job.
Using so-called agentic AI, these robots will be able to unload trailers and then retrieve parts for repairs, according to Amazon.
“We’re creating systems that can hear, understand and act on natural language commands, turning warehouse robots into flexible, multi-talented assistants,” Amazon said in a statement, without providing details such as what the robots might look like or cost.
Amazon described the advances ahead of a press event Wednesday at Lab126 in Sunnyvale, California, where it gathered robotics and logistics executives for demonstrations.
Among the additional announcements are that Amazon is using generative AI to create more advanced maps for its delivery drivers, so that they can more efficiently deliver packages for the final few yards (metres) of their journeys. The specialized AI will provide Amazon fine detail on building shapes, as well as obstacles and anything else they may need to navigate a package drop-off.
“This innovation is making it easier for Amazon drivers to find the right delivery spot, especially in tricky places like big office complexes,” Amazon said.
That technology could be critical to specialized eyeglasses Amazon is developing for delivery drivers that Reuters reported exclusively last year. The company hopes to outfit drivers with screen-embedded glasses that free their hands from GPS devices and give them turn by turn directions while driving, as well as while carrying packages at their destination.
Finally, Amazon said it AI will help it more efficiently predict what products customers will need and where to improve its same day delivery operations. On a more basic level, it means that winter coats likely will not be stocked in Phoenix warehouses in summer though Amazon suggested that other factors the software will consider are price, convenience, relying on factors such as weather and sales events, like Prime Day.
In its announcement, Amazon promised to minimize waste through less carbon emissions and traffic as the result of the new AI.
(Reporting by Greg Bensinger; Editing by Michael Perry)
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