Key facts
- JD.com founder Richard Liu plans to retrain 700,000 blue-collar workers.
- The retraining aims to transition workers into roles related to AI and robotics.
- JD.com is collaborating with 120 schools across China for these training programs.
- Liu emphasized that robots should not eliminate people's right to work.
Richard Liu, the founder of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, has announced a significant initiative to "white-collarize" his company's 700,000 blue-collar delivery workers. Liu stated that as artificial intelligence and robots increasingly handle manual delivery tasks, these workers will be retrained for new roles, such as repairing and maintaining the automated systems.
Speaking at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO forum, Liu explained that this transition would move workers from field operations to office-based roles, reducing their physical workload. To facilitate this, JD.com has established partnerships with 120 schools across China to provide the necessary retraining.
Liu also voiced his support for internationally recognized protocols for AI adoption, emphasizing that technological advancements should not infringe upon people's right to work. He reiterated the company's commitment to retraining employees whose jobs are displaced by automation, rather than resorting to layoffs.
This move by JD.com aligns with broader automation trends in the e-commerce sector globally, with companies like Amazon also heavily investing in robotics for their fulfillment centers. The increasing deployment of delivery robots and drones in China, as seen with Meituan's drone delivery services, highlights the growing integration of automation in logistics.