JD.com founder vows to protect 900,000 Chinese workers from job loss to AI or robots
According to Straits Times Business, the founder of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com has vowed to protect more than 900,000 employees from losing their jobs to AI or robots. The company says it has established more than 80 training centres across China to retrain workers.
Straits Times BusinessAccording to Straits Times Business, the founder of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, Richard Liu, told an internal company event in Beijing that the business would protect more than 900,000 jobs, including some half a million warehouse, logistics and customer-service employees, from AI or robotic delivery systems. JD's statement said more than 80 training centres have been set up across China, with the main objective of transforming operational roles into specialisations in AI-supported process design.
JD's position runs counter to the broader message coming from the recent acceleration of automation in China's technology sector. Alibaba, Pinduoduo and Meituan are reported to have laid off or repositioned close to 35,000 employees in the same period. According to labour economist Professor Tao Wang at Peking University, JD's stance is grounded in employment protection and gives priority to long-term customer loyalty.
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that a technical oversight mechanism will be put in place for the programme JD will run with its retraining centres. EU and OECD reports also call for a re-evaluation of automation's effects on labour markets. This article relays publicly available data; it does not constitute career or investment advice.
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