Amazon’s AI Drones Are Not a Technology We Need
Planned service is dangerous for those in the sky and on the ground
By the Editorial Board
On April 1, a computer-generated video of an Amazon blimp unleashing a swarm of drones from its hull made the rounds on social media. At a Las Vegas conference last week, the ecommerce titan revealed the joke was on us. Amazon says it will be using AI-directed drones to make deliveries “within months”, having received permission from the US Federal Aviation Authority to start testing in “a few locations”.
That the FAA has not yet given Amazon approval for full commercial deliveries is telling. The days-long closure of the UK’s Gatwick airport following a sighting of a single drone last December is a portent of the chaos that swarms of them could bring. Outside isolated locations, automated package delivery looks like an innovation too far.
Amazon’s rationale for developing the technology is obvious. Drones are fast, have low emissions, can serve remote areas and do not need to be paid. Amazon is not the only company exploring the field. Google is trialling a similar project in Australia and Finland, while Alibaba and DHL are exploring automated couriers in China. Beyond retail, AI drones could perform potentially dangerous tasks such as checking oil…
