Amazon Deployed AI Tool Atlas to Flag Union Risk at Warehouses
Documents filed with the British Columbia Labour Board and Unifor show Amazon used an AI algorithm called Atlas to score warehouses on unionization risk, with two UK sites at Tier 1.
Amazon deployed an AI-powered union activity detection algorithm named Atlas at warehouses worldwide, according to documents turned over to the British Columbia Labour Board and Unifor. TechRadar Pro reported on the filings.
Atlas draws on hundreds of data points, including worker communications channels, health and safety incidents, minimum wage rates, and the proximity of non-unionized warehouses to union-exposed sites, to place each site on a unionization risk scale. It also monitored Amazon's internal Voice of the Associate bulletin board and external forums such as Reddit to gauge the tenor of discussion at the site level.
Warehouses are assessed on a risk scoring running from Tier 5 (little to no risk) to Tier 1 (imminent risk of union activity). Two UK warehouses in Coventry and Minworth, whose employees work with GMB Union, were designated as Tier 1 sites.
The documentation also includes a management training guide on union activity that runs to more than 100 pages.
Union response
GMB Union called on the UK Government to urgently seek answers from Amazon about the use of Atlas in British workplaces. In the background, Amazon has been embroiled in a legal dispute over unionization at a warehouse just outside of Vancouver.
TechRadar Pro reached out to Amazon for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Quick answers
What is Atlas?
It is an AI-powered union activity detection algorithm that Amazon deployed at warehouses, according to documents turned over to the British Columbia Labour Board and Unifor.
What data does Atlas use to assess unionization risk?
It uses hundreds of data points, including worker communications channels, health and safety incidents, minimum wage rates, and the proximity of non-unionized warehouses to union-exposed sites, as well as monitoring internal and external forums.
How are warehouses scored under Atlas?
They are placed on a scale from Tier 5 (little to no risk) to Tier 1 (imminent risk of union activity). Two UK warehouses in Coventry and Minworth were designated Tier 1.