Amazon denies using AI to track employee productivity in Australia

The global e-commerce giant Amazon clarified that it does not utilize artificial intelligence (AI) for tracking and monitoring employees in Australia.

During a recent Senate inquiry on AI, Amazon representatives were questioned about potential employee surveillance practices in Australia.

This inquiry followed a €32 million (US$35 million) fine imposed by the French data protection authority CNIL on Amazon in December 2023 for excessive monitoring of employee productivity and performance.

The data collected by Amazon was then used to assess employee quality, productivity, and periods of inactivity.

CNIL determined that Amazon’s system was unlawful as it could precisely measure work interruptions, potentially obliging employees to justify every break during work.

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The data protection authority also indicated that Amazon’s system for scanning items at a certain speed was excessive.

One criterion in the system measured whether items were scanned within 1.25 seconds after the previous one.

Additionally, CNIL fined Amazon for insufficiently informing employees and visitors about video surveillance systems in its warehouses and for inadequate security measures in accessing the video surveillance software.

Amazon’s Response

Matt Levey, Amazon’s head of public policy for Australia and New Zealand, affirmed that the company does not use AI for surveilling workers in Australia.

He stated, “That’s not something that’s done,” during the Select Committee on Adopting Artificial Intelligence.

Levey also expressed disagreement with CNIL’s assessment that Amazon’s worker monitoring system in France was excessive, referring to it as the “industry standard.”

He said, “I think our position is that the types of warehouse management systems we use are industry standard. It’s how we efficiently move products through our fulfilment network to reach customers and ensure safety and a good working environment for our team.”

While Levey acknowledged that Amazon employs AI for optimizing operations, he clarified that the technology is not used for evaluating workers’ performance.

He explained, “There’s no relationship between the AI systems we use to optimize the fulfilment network and how we assess performance.”

Levey emphasized that this applies to workers directly employed by Amazon as well as those working for other agencies providing services to the company.

Labor Senator Lisa Darmanin questioned Levey about the use of AI surveillance by Amazon to prevent union activities in Australia.

She referenced a case in the United States where an employee accused Amazon of using “intrusive algorithms” to monitor and deter union activities.

In response, the Amazon executive assured that such surveillance practices do not occur in Australia.

He clarified, “We don’t surveil or monitor union activities in our Australian facilities. We facilitate lawful union rights of entry in our sites around Australia all the time.”

Amazon Denies Monitoring Flex Partners

Levey also mentioned that Amazon does not track the activities of its Flex partners.

Flex is a service by Amazon that allows individuals to become delivery drivers separate from the company’s workforce. It was launched in Australia in 2020.

Levey stated, “When it comes to flex drivers, we don’t track their activity in any way. Amazon plays no role in monitoring their work.”

He added, “We have installed a safety system in the vehicles designed for their safety. This system has been in use in the United States for years.”

Levey reassured that the system has privacy measures in place to ensure it is not invasive.

He said, “It doesn’t record personal information and only activates in case of a safety incident. There is no live feed or audio from that technology.”