Over 1,000 workers have signed off on an open letter slamming aggressive AI expansion risks amid rising emissions and other concerns.

Last week, over 1,000 Amazon employees signed an open letter to CEO Andy Jassy expressing serious concerns about the firm’s rapid expansion of AI technologies.

The employees warn that the firm’s aggressive AI deployment threatens jobs, the environment, and democracy itself. They accuse top management of sidelining climate goals to prioritize AI development, resulting in increased carbon emissions and layoffs while also enabling enhanced surveillance capabilities that jeopardize civil liberties.

The letter highlight that, despite the firm’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, there has been a 35% rise in global carbon emissions since 2019, including a 6% increase last year. This surge is largely due to the expansion of data centers to support AI infrastructure: Amazon plans to invest US$150bn into such facilities over 15 years. Also:

  • Employees critique the firm for its significant reliance on fossil fuels in regions where 70% of its US data centers operate, countering Amazon’s claims of powering operations with renewable energy and investments in nuclear energy.
  • Workforce anxiety is heightened by Amazon’s AI-driven corporate restructuring. Jassy had forewarned that AI adoption would reduce the corporate workforce, which materialized in November 2025 when about 14,000 corporate jobs, including 40% of engineering positions, were cut. Employees report mounting pressure to meet aggressive AI-driven productivity targets with limited advancement opportunities.
  • Employees now demand ethical AI working groups composed of non-managers to oversee AI deployment and decisions related to layoffs
  • The letter accuses Amazon of contributing to a “militarized surveillance state” by providing cloud services to government agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and controversial surveillance firms such as Palantir. Expanded law enforcement partnerships via its Ring doorbells and other surveillance technologies raise serious privacy and human rights issues.
  • The employees are demanding that Amazon commit to powering all data centers with 100% renewable energy, include workers in AI strategy decisions, and refuse to use AI for violence, surveillance, or mass deportation.

The open letter reflects a broader unease among tech workers worldwide about the ethical, social, and environmental impacts of AI amid rapid corporate investment. The employees urge Amazon to rethink its AI strategy to protect democracy, safeguard jobs, and uphold climate commitments during a pivotal moment for technology and society.