Amazon Employees Demand Ethical AI Development in Open Letter to CEO Andy Jassy

Amazon has committed $150 billion to developing new AI data centers across the globe.

New Delhi:

More than a thousand Amazon employees have collectively signed an open letter to CEO Andy Jassy, expressing serious concerns about the company's accelerated implementation of artificial intelligence technologies.

Operating under the organization Amazon Employees for Climate Justice (AECJ), these workers criticized what they described as the company's "warp-speed" approach to AI deployment, arguing that it prioritizes profits and technological advancement while disregarding potential negative consequences.

"We, the undersigned Amazon employees, have serious concerns about this aggressive rollout during the global rise of authoritarianism and our most important years to reverse the climate crisis. We believe that the all-costs-justified, warp-speed approach to AI development will do staggering damage to democracy, to our jobs, and to the Earth," states the letter.

The signatories, who identified themselves as developers, trainers, and users of AI within the company, emphasized their professional responsibility to intervene. They proceeded to outline several alarming aspects of Amazon's AI strategy.

Despite Amazon's public commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, the employees pointed out that the company's actual emissions have increased by 35 percent since 2019.

The letter raises concerns about Amazon's planned $150 billion investment in new AI data centers, highlighting that many facilities are being built in drought-prone regions, consuming scarce water resources and requiring energy that may sustain coal or gas power plants. Additionally, they claim Amazon has opposed legislation that would mandate clean energy usage for data centers.

The employees also noted that AWS (Amazon Web Services) provides services that help oil companies expand drilling operations, contributing to further carbon emissions.

According to the letter, CEO Andy Jassy's push for more AI tools and "agents" throughout Amazon could potentially reduce human workforce requirements. While Jassy suggests remaining positions will be "exciting and fun," the employees contend the reality involves increased workloads, shortened deadlines, and potentially wasteful tasks implemented solely to accommodate AI systems.

The letter mentions Amazon's challenge to the National Labor Relations Board, which is responsible for protecting workers' rights.

The employees also highlighted Amazon's participation in a broader coalition of technology companies, including Meta, Microsoft, and Google, that have reportedly lobbied against government regulation of AI for the past decade. They further noted that Jeff Bezos's ownership of The Washington Post provides additional influence over media coverage and public perception of AI technologies.

"All of this is daunting, but none of it is inevitable," the letter asserts.

The employees' demands include immediate action on several fronts: prohibiting AI development using non-renewable energy, ensuring employee input in AI development, and preventing AI usage for violence, surveillance, or mass deportations.

Specifically, they call for Amazon to power all data centers exclusively with renewable energy, cease building AI tools for the oil and gas industry, and establish ethical AI working groups that provide employees with meaningful input regarding AI deployment decisions.

The letter has garnered signatures from at least 1,039 Amazon employees, with the number continuing to grow. Additionally, over 2,400 individuals outside of Amazon have signed in solidarity, including workers from major corporations such as Microsoft, Google, Meta, Apple, Uber, Salesforce, Cisco, SpaceX, Boeing, Washington Post, Oracle, Walmart, Target, and Starbucks.