( Breitbart )
Amazon announced recently that it will deploy machine-learning AI technology to monitor warehouse workers. The technology is designed to ensure that workers are following social distancing guidelines during their shifts. Similar technology will also be deployed to monitor the health of warehouse machinery.
According to a report by Ars Technica, Amazon is set to introduce machine-learning and AI technology that will scrutinize the behavior of warehouse workers.
The system, which was developed by engineers at Amazon Web Services, will analyze security camera footage to ensure that workers are upholding social distancing guidelines at work.
Amazon Web Services executive Matt Garman said that the AI system is an overdue technological evolution for industrial warehouses. “If you look at manufacturing and industrial generally, it’s a space that has seen some innovations, but there’s a lot of pieces that haven’t been digitized and modernized,” Garman said.
Swami Sivasubramanian, who oversees the development of artificial intelligence for Amazon Web Services, preemptively pushed back at those who might suggest that the technology violates the privacy of warehouse workers.
“But the same technology can be used to ensure worker safety. Are people walking in spaces where they shouldn’t be? Is there an oil spill? Are they not wearing hard hats? These are real-world problems,” Sivasubramanian said.
Breitbart News reported in November that Amazon “obsessively” tracks organized labor movements to stomp out unionization efforts by employees. The company reportedly asks intelligence analysts to monitor social networks for evidence of labor movements.