JD.com founder Liu Qiangdong says he will protect the company’s roughly 900,000 employees from job losses driven by AI and robotics, according to reports describing an internal speech. The pledge is framed as an effort to address broader concerns in China that increased use of automation could replace frontline workers.
The statements come amid heightened scrutiny of how AI is used in workplaces. Chinese courts and authorities have issued warnings to companies against using AI in ways that would replace employees, according to coverage.
At the same time, additional reporting raises questions about how the promise aligns with JD.com’s operational direction, including references to an “unmanned” warehouse strategy and a flagship facility that uses a very small number of workers relative to typical warehouse staffing.
Separate from the jobs pledge, one outlet also reports that JD.com is considering a significant acquisition in the UK online retail sector, though details were not provided in the summarized material. Overall, the sources describe a public commitment to workforce protection alongside ongoing efforts to automate parts of JD.com’s logistics.
