- Amazon has reportedly projected that automation will help it avoid hiring more than 600,000 workers in the US by 2033 as it expands robot use across its operations.
- Robotics has already entered Kenya’s service industry, with Robot Cafe in Kileleshwa deploying robot servers to deliver food and drinks to customers.
- The rise of automation has raised concerns over jobs involving repetitive tasks, warehouse work and routine customer service, while also creating new demand for digital, technical and problem-solving skills.
The global workplace is entering a new era as companies increasingly turn to robots and artificial intelligence to perform tasks traditionally handled by human workers.
Amazon, one of the world’s largest employers, is at the centre of the debate. Reports based on internal company documents indicate that the e-commerce giant expects automation to help it avoid hiring more than 600,000 workers in the United States by 2033 as it expands its use of robots across its operations.
The development signals a major shift in Amazon’s automation strategy. Rather than simply using robots to assist existing employees, the company is increasingly exploring ways technology can reduce the number of new workers needed as demand grows.
Amazon has already deployed hundreds of thousands of robots across its operations, particularly in warehouses and logistics. The company, however, has maintained that robots are designed to work alongside employees and improve efficiency and safety, rather than simply eliminate jobs.
But the debate has taken on a new urgency as automation becomes cheaper, more capable and increasingly accessible.
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And Kenya is not being left behind; in Nairobi, the future of automated service is already visible at Robot Cafe in Kileleshwa. Located at Lana Plaza along Oloitoktok Road, the restaurant uses robot servers to deliver food and drinks to customers, offering a glimpse of how robotics could transform the hospitality industry.
This has attracted attention for its use of robot attendants, becoming one of the most visible examples of robotics entering Kenya’s service industry. The restaurant’s robot servers move between tables delivering orders, turning what was once a science-fiction concept into an everyday experience for Nairobi customers.
The technology is also beginning to appear in marketing and other commercial activities, where robots can attract customers, demonstrate products and perform repetitive tasks.
For Kenya, the question is no longer whether automation will arrive. It is already here.
The bigger question is what happens to workers when businesses discover that some tasks can be performed faster, continuously and potentially at a lower cost by machines.
Jobs involving repetitive physical tasks, routine customer service, data processing, warehouse operations and some forms of marketing could increasingly be affected as businesses adopt automation.
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At the same time, the rise of robots could create new opportunities in robotics, software development, machine maintenance, engineering, data analysis and other technology-related fields.
The challenge for Kenya will therefore be preparing workers for that transition.
As businesses invest in machines, workers may need to invest in new skills — particularly digital, technical, creative and problem-solving abilities that are harder to automate.
The robot serving a meal in Kileleshwa may appear to be a novelty today. But it could also be a warning of how quickly the workplace is changing.
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