More than a thousand Amazon employees have taken the extraordinary step of signing an open letter expressing grave concerns about the company's aggressive artificial intelligence implementation strategy, warning that it threatens both employment security and environmental commitments.
Workers Speak Out Against AI Implementation
The letter, published anonymously by Amazon staff members, arrives just one month after the technology giant announced substantial layoff plans linked to increased AI adoption across its operations. More than 1,000 Amazon workers have put their names to the document, representing a broad cross-section of the company including engineers, product managers, and warehouse associates.
This internal protest has gained significant external support, with more than 2,400 employees from rival technology firms including Meta, Google, Apple, and Microsoft adding their endorsement to the cause. The collective action reflects growing industry-wide apprehension about artificial intelligence's rapid deployment without adequate safeguards.
The workers describe Amazon's approach as an "all-costs justified, warp speed" strategy that risks causing substantial damage to "democracy, to our jobs, and to the earth." This coordinated expression of concern represents one of the most significant internal challenges to corporate AI implementation strategies to date.
Environmental Impact and Climate Concerns
The letter delivers a stark warning about Amazon's environmental trajectory, accusing the company of "casting aside its climate goals to build AI." Employees point to concerning data showing that Amazon's annual emissions have grown by approximately 35% since 2019, despite the company's public commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040.
This environmental backsliding coincides with massive investments in AI infrastructure. Amazon has revealed plans to spend $150 billion on data centres over the next 15 years, including recent announcements of $15 billion for facilities in northern Indiana and at least $3 billion for data centres in Mississippi.
Workers express particular concern about the energy sources powering this expansion, warning that many AI infrastructure investments will be in "locations where their energy demands will force utility companies to keep coal plants online or build new gas plants."
An Amazon customer researcher, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, provided a blunt assessment: "'AI' is being used as a magic word that is code for less worker power, hoarding of more resources, and making an uninformed gamble on high energy demand computer chips magically saving us from climate change."
Workplace Pressures and Productivity Demands
The letter also addresses significant workplace challenges emerging from Amazon's AI push. Multiple employees reported experiencing intense pressure to incorporate artificial intelligence tools into their daily workflows, with management explicitly linking AI adoption to job security and performance expectations.
One software engineer with over two years at the company described receiving consistent messaging "from my direct manager and [from] all the way up the chain, about how I should be using AI for coding, for writing, for basically all of my day-to-day tasks." She added that management made clear that "if I don't get on board and use them, that I'm going to fall behind, that it's sort of sink or swim."
The pressure has translated into concrete productivity expectations, with the same engineer revealing that just weeks ago, her manager informed staff they were "expected to do twice as much work because of AI tools." She expressed concern that these expectations are unsustainable, noting that "the tools are just not making up that gap."
A senior software engineer with over a decade of Amazon experience described practical problems with AI implementation, citing an instance where "I worked on a project that was just cleaning up after a high-level engineer tried to use AI to generate code to complete a complex project. But none of it worked and he didn't understand why – starting from scratch would have actually been easier."
Employee Demands and Alternative Vision
The signatories have presented Amazon leadership with specific demands aimed at creating a more responsible approach to artificial intelligence. These include transitioning all data centres to clean energy sources, ensuring AI products don't enable "violence, surveillance and mass deportation," and establishing worker-led oversight of AI implementation.
Crucially, employees are calling for the creation of a working group comprised of non-managers that would have "significant ownership over org-level goals and how or if AI should be used in their orgs, how or if AI-related layoffs or headcount freezes are implemented, and how to mitigate or minimize the collateral effects of AI use, such as environmental impact."
The senior software engineer emphasized that workers aren't opposed to AI technology itself, but rather Amazon's implementation approach: "I see Amazon using AI to justify a power grab over community resources like water and energy, but also over its own workers, who are increasingly subject to surveillance, work speedups, and implicit threats of layoffs."
He also noted the creation of "a culture of fear around openly discussing the drawbacks of AI at work," suggesting the letter aims to demonstrate that "many of us feel this way and that another path is possible."
Company Response and Ongoing Tensions
Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser responded to the employees' concerns by highlighting the company's environmental commitments, stating: "Not only are we the leading data center operator in efficiency, we're the world's largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy for five consecutive years with over 600 projects globally."
Glasser also pointed to Amazon's investments in nuclear energy through existing plants and new Small Modular Reactor technology as "concrete actions demonstrating real progress toward our Climate Pledge commitment to reach net-zero carbon across our global operations by 2040."
Notably, the company did not address specific workplace concerns raised by employees regarding AI implementation pressures and productivity expectations.
The protest was organized by employees affiliated with Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, building on previous worker activism around environmental issues within the company. As artificial intelligence continues to transform workplaces across the technology sector, this coordinated action signals growing employee determination to shape how these powerful technologies are developed and deployed.
