The founder and president of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com — considered by many to be the “Amazon of China” — said in a message addressed to the company’s employees that he will not lay off any of the 900,000 workers to replace them with artificial intelligence tools or other types of automation.
According to Bloomberg, Liu Qiangdong told employees that he “will do everything possible to protect the jobs of hundreds of thousands of workers,” referring especially to those working in JD.com warehouses.
“JD.com will not fire a single frontline worker to replace him with a machine,” said Liu Qiangdong.
Despite this promise, it is known that the Chinese company has been testing multiple technologies to automate part of its processes. The founder of JD.com states, however, that this strategy is not intended to replace workers.
It is also important to highlight that Liu Qiangdong’s promise comes at a time when the Chinese government is already showing concern about companies that replace employees with artificial intelligence tools.
China discourages replacing workers with AI
Chinese authorities have discouraged companies from replacing workers with artificial intelligence in an attempt to balance the adoption of new technologies with the need to maintain social stability in a country where youth unemployment remains high.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met last summer with major employers in the country, including technology companies, banks and car manufacturers, to discuss the impact of AI on the job market.
While some companies point out that the technology could create jobs in the coming years, they also warn that full adoption of AI could eliminate more than 30% of existing jobs.
According to sources cited by the newspaper, this led Beijing to issue, at the end of last year, guidelines for technology companies to avoid layoffs related to the adoption of AI.
The concern comes at a time when the world’s second-largest economy faces persistent difficulties in the labor market. The unemployment rate among urban young people aged 16 to 24, excluding students, was 16% in April.
“China is trying to balance two fundamental priorities: social stability and productivity growth. AI, as a potentially transformative technology, could force Beijing to make difficult decisions,” said Kyle Chan, a researcher at the Brookings Institution, cited by the WSJ.
Despite restrictions, the Chinese government continues to encourage the adoption of AI. The “AI+” strategy, launched last August, prioritizes the use of technology in sectors such as manufacturing and logistics, considered less sensitive to the replacement of qualified office workers.
According to sources, authorities have also started to require companies to justify layoffs and, in some cases, prove that staff cuts are not directly linked to the replacement with AI systems.
Recent cases reinforce this stance.
In Hangzhou, eastern China, a quality control supervisor surnamed Zhou sued the company he worked for after being replaced by an AI system. The court won the case to the employee and ordered compensation of around 38 thousand dollars (approximately 32.6 thousand euros) for wrongful dismissal.
In another similar case, in Beijing, a worker responsible for collecting cartographic data lost his job after his duties were automated and also won the case against his employer. Local authorities used the case to reinforce that AI is not a valid justification for layoffs and that companies should prioritize training and professional outplacement.
At the same time, human resources managers at technology companies recognize that some roles are already being reduced due to the advancement of AI, while others are being redefined for more complex, human-interaction tasks.
The impact appears to be especially felt among younger workers. John Xie, founder of a software company in Guangzhou, told the newspaper that he created AI agents capable of replacing interns and employees with up to two years of experience.
“I genuinely care about young people. Recent graduates need years to gain experience, but AI can master those same skills in a few weeks or months,” he said.
Source: www.noticiasaominuto.com.br
Source link
