Amazon’s Next-Gen Warehouse Robot Takes Natural Language Commands

CNBC reported Thursday that Amazon has unveiled a next-generation version of its Proteus Amazon warehouse robot, one capable of understanding conversational instructions from workers without any technical interface.

Amazon’s Proteus Gets a Language Upgrade

The upgraded Proteus is an autonomous mobile unit designed to move goods across fulfillment centers. Workers can now direct it in ordinary spoken language rather than coded commands. Amazon launched the new version at its Delivering the Future event in London. The company plans to deploy it across European facilities in the first half of 2027.

Alongside Proteus, Amazon showcased two additional systems. Vulcan is the company’s first robot equipped with a sense of touch. STARK is a new robotic tote-handling platform. The announcements form part of a broader European push backed by a 10 billion euro ($11.6 billion) capital commitment to modernize regional operations over the coming years.

Background: Proteus Has Been Running Since 2022

The original Proteus debuted inside Amazon fulfillment centers four years ago. It was built to assist workers with heavy cart transport, handling loads up to 400 kilograms. The robot is now active in 25 U.S. fulfillment centers. The latest iteration extends that footprint internationally.

Also Read: AI Robots Forecast to Outnumber Workers Within Decades

Job Creation Claims Meet Skepticism

Amazon executives pushed back against fears that robotics erodes employment. Tye Brady, chief technologist at Amazon Robotics, told CNBC the company has created hundreds of thousands of jobs since it began investing in automation. John Boumphrey, Amazon’s Vice President and UK Country Manager, said robotics investment actually forces the company to hire more warehouse staff. He told CNBC the company struggles to find workers with the right skills. “Our experience of robots is that it’s driven up employment rather than the reverse,” Boumphrey said.

Also Read: Tech Industry AI Layoffs Surpassed 50,000 in 2025

The optimism sits uneasily alongside Amazon’s own workforce decisions. The company cut 14,000 corporate employees last October, citing AI investment priorities. A further 16,000 positions were eliminated in January to reduce organizational layers. CEO Andy Jassy has said in a staff memo that AI will shrink the corporate headcount over the next several years, though he acknowledged the final scale remains uncertain.

Other major tech firms including Microsoft, Salesforce, and IBM contributed to more than 50,000 AI-related U.S. layoffs in 2025. More recent cuts at Block, Oracle, and Meta suggest the trend has not slowed in 2026.

A 2024 Citi analysis projected the global AI robot population could reach 1.3 billion by 2035 and exceed four billion by mid-century, a figure that raises longer-term questions about labor displacement that warehouse job-creation figures alone cannot settle.

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