This week’s are about tech, AI and sustainability, coming from the EU, Netherlands and the USA
1-Amazon surpasses one million robots in warehouses
Amazon has deployed more than one million robots across its warehouse operations, a figure that now closely rivals the number of human employees, the company confirmed.
I saw this story at the The Wall Street Journal and the milestone underscores Amazon’s aggressive push toward automation, which began after its $775 million acquisition of robotics firm Kiva Systems in 2012. Since then, warehouse robots have evolved from simply moving heavy loads to handling more complex tasks, such as picking items from shelves, sorting products, and packaging orders, according to the story.
One of the company’s latest robots, named Vulcan, is equipped with a sense of touch and can retrieve items from a variety of shelving units. Let me add that roughly 75% of Amazon’s global deliveries are now assisted in some way by robotic systems, according to company data.
While automation has reduced the need for physically demanding tasks, it has also created opportunities for employees to transition into more skilled roles. Neisha Cruz, who once worked as a picker in a Connecticut warehouse, now remotely monitors mobile robots from an operations center in Tempe, Arizona — earning nearly 2.5 times her original salary.
Amazon currently employs around 1.56 million people worldwide. However, a Wall Street Journal analysis found that the average number of employees per facility dropped to 670 last year — the lowest in 16 years — while the number of packages handled per worker has steadily risen, noted the story.
To support this shift, Amazon says it has trained over 700,000 employees in robotics and automation-related skills. Yesh Dattatreya, a senior applied scientist at Amazon Robotics, said the rise of automation is giving way to entirely new career paths, including roles such as robot technicians.
Amazon surpasses one million robots in warehouses (Photo: Amazon)
2-Google faces EU antitrust complaint over AI Overviews from independent publishers
Google is facing a formal antitrust complaint in the European Union from a coalition of independent publishers who allege the tech giant’s AI-powered search summaries are damaging their business by using their content without adequate control or compensation, according to Reuters News Agency .
The complaint, filed with the European Commission by the Independent Publishers Alliance and seen by Reuters, challenges Google’s use of AI Overviews—automated summaries that appear at the top of search results in over 100 countries, the story noted. The group is also requesting interim measures to prevent what it describes as “irreparable harm” to the publishing industry.
The AI Overviews, which Google began monetizing with ads in May, summarize web content to answer user queries without requiring them to click through to external websites, the story emphasized. (By the way, I have a story here about the use of Google’s AI solutions in a Turkish pop music icon’s, Sezen Aksu, newest music video)
“Google’s core search engine is misusing web content to power its AI Overviews, resulting in significant losses for news publishers,” the group wrote in its June 30 complaint. It also claims that publishers are unable to opt out of having their content used for AI model training or summary generation without also being excluded from Google’s general search results — a scenario that would further reduce visibility.
In response, Google defended its practices, saying its search engine sends billions of clicks to websites each day. “AI-powered search allows people to explore more questions and creates new opportunities for content and businesses to be discovered,” a Google spokesperson said.
Google faces EU antitrust complaint over AI Overviews from independent publishers
3-Smartphone ban in Dutch schools boosts focus: study
A government-commissioned study in the Netherlands has found that banning smartphones and other electronic devices in schools has significantly improved students’ concentration and classroom dynamics.
According to the report, which surveyed 317 high schools, 75% of respondents said student focus had improved since the nationwide ban took effect on Jan. 1, 2024. I read this story at Reuters News Agency and nearly two-thirds also reported a more positive social environment, and one-third noted improvements in academic performance.
“Less distraction, more attention to the lesson, and more social students. No more mobile phones in the classroom is having wonderful positive effects,” said State Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education Marielle Paul. “It’s great that schools are putting their shoulders to the wheel on this.”
The ban applies to both primary and secondary schools, although its impact on younger students has been limited, as most do not regularly bring phones until the later years of primary education, the story noted.
Exceptions to the rule are allowed for medical purposes, such as mobile-connected hearing aids.
Smartphone ban in Dutch schools boosts focus: study (Photo: Unsplash)
