The founder of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com has warned that robots are likely to replace the company’s vast delivery workforce in the future, raising concerns about automation and its impact on jobs.
Speaking at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Forum in Beijing on Sunday, JD.com founder and chairman Richard Liu said robotic delivery services are no longer a distant concept but an inevitable part of the industry’s future.
Liu said that the current AI trajectory will eventually result in robots replacing delivery workers.
“In the future, when robots are delivering parcels, sooner or later, there will be a day when couriers are basically no longer needed,” Liu said.
“It will definitely be robots delivering parcels. But I really don’t want our 700,000 brothers to go without meals, without jobs” he added.
JD.com currently employs around 700,000 delivery workers across China. To support their employees, JD.com has partnered with approximately 120 schools, offering retraining to delivery workers for other jobs in technical support or maintenance of robotic machinery.
“Robots are machines and they will continue to experience failure,” Liu said. “So there are opportunities for those who have been displaced by automation to transition into jobs supporting these robotic machines.”
The Chinese government has committed substantial investment dollars in robotics and automation as part of the overall long-term economic strategy for the future. The pilot programs which are already in progress involve the use of autonomous delivery robots at key airports and automated devices that move through commuter rail systems to supply convenience stores and other retail establishments.
The remarks from Liu are taking place within the larger context of employment opportunities within the rapidly-growing gig economy within China, estimated to include about 320 million individuals this year. Delivery personnel, ride-share application drivers and temporary workers in manufacturing facilities account for a large share of these gig economy jobholders.
Additionally, JD.com and their automation strategies and expansions, are part of larger global trends happening today. Key competitor Amazon has significantly increased their utilization of robotics in warehousing and logistics roles; meanwhile, the robotics startup Figure AI, reports that the number of robots now exceeds the number of human employees within their organization. As automation accelerates, governments and businesses face increasing pressure to balance technological progress with job security.
Also Read: Gig Workers Face Growing Algorithmic Control, Human Rights Watch Says
