Amazon Engineers Say AI Push Turns Coding Into Factory Work

Amazon software engineers say their work is starting to feel less like creative problem-solving and more like factory labor.

As the company pushes hard into artificial intelligence, some developers say they are under pressure to work faster, with less room for reflection and collaboration.

Three engineers told The New York Times that over the past year, Amazon raised output targets and tightened deadlines, expecting A.I. tools to make up the difference. One engineer said their team had been cut in half since last year, yet they were still expected to deliver the same volume of code.

The Times notes that this mirrors a broader trend in tech. The companies Google and Shopify along with other businesses now require their staff to use artificial intelligence tools every day. The research demonstrated that GitHub Copilot as an AI coding assistant boosted developer productivity by more than 25%.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said A.I. is boosting “productivity and cost avoidance” and changing work “norms.” But many developers say it’s led to a “speed-up.” One said tasks that used to take weeks are now expected in days, often with fewer team meetings.

“It used to be that you had a lot of slack because you were doing a complicated project,” said Harvard economist Lawrence Katz, as reported by The Times. “Now, you have the whole thing monitored, and it can be done quickly,” Lawrence added.

Some coders worry about losing key learning moments. “Automating these functions could deprive junior engineers of the know-how they need to get promoted,” said one engineer to The Times.

Programmer Harper Reed offered a different take: “It would be crazy if in an auto factory people were measuring to make sure every angle is correct,” as reported by The Times

Still, concerns are growing. The complaints have centered around “what their careers are going to look like,” said Eliza Pan, from Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, as reported by The Times. “And not just their careers, but the quality of the work.”