Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia \u2013 The world is racing to develop artificial\nintelligence (AI) technology that is transforming the world into an era\nof automation. In the Middle East and Ukraine conflicts, militaries are\nalready relying heavily on unmanned weapons.<\/p>\n
Autonomous taxis (robotaxis) are also rapidly expanding in several\ncountries, particularly the United States and China. AI tools\nproliferating across various applications have already changed daily\nhuman life.<\/p>\n
While automated systems can boost efficiency and productivity to\ndrive growth, the consequences for workers are severe. Many jobs are\nexpected to disappear in the future.<\/p>\n
Currently, there is a surge in layoffs worldwide. Companies are also\nbecoming cautious in hiring new staff as some roles can now be handled\nby AI tools.<\/p>\n
Commitment from Chinese E-commerce Giant<\/p>\n
However, the commitment from Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com is\ncommendable. While many US and other companies are laying off staff and\nblaming AI, JD.com has pledged not to do the same.<\/p>\n
According to Economic Times on Friday, 29 May 2026, JD.com founder\nLiu Qiangdong vowed to prevent mass layoffs due to automation. The\ncompany\u2019s 900,000 employees can breathe a sigh of relief.<\/p>\n
Liu\u2019s comments came amid growing worker concerns about their future\nin the age of AI and robotics adoption.<\/p>\n
JD.com is one of China\u2019s largest employers. \u201cWe pledge to do\neverything possible to protect the jobs of hundreds of thousands of\nstaff, including blue-collar workers,\u201d Liu said in an internal speech\nlast week, according to a video circulating on social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cJD.com will not make any frontline workers redundant due to machine\nreplacement,\u201d he added. JD.com did not respond to an email request for\ncomment.<\/p>\n
China\u2019s Dilemma<\/p>\n
Chinese companies are racing to implement AI systems as part of the\ngovernment\u2019s push to dominate this new technology.<\/p>\n
However, these directives pose challenges for Communist Party\nplanners aiming to maintain labour market stability amid economic\nslowdown and high youth unemployment.<\/p>\n
JD.com employs staff in various roles, from delivery personnel and\nshop attendants to AI trainers and robot maintenance technicians. The\ncompany is experimenting with several unmanned technologies.<\/p>\n
Recent filings show these include unmanned warehouses, drone\ndeliveries, autonomous vehicles, unmanned delivery stations, and\nconvenience stores.<\/p>\n
The e-commerce giant has also established over 80 training bases\nnationwide, which Liu said will retrain workers in skills such as\nmaintaining and servicing automated systems.<\/p>\n
Government Intervention<\/p>\n
Liu\u2019s comments followed a Chinese court ruling in late April that\ncompanies cannot terminate employees or cut salaries solely to replace\nthem with AI systems.<\/p>\n
Chinese authorities also ruled last year that companies are legally\nrequired to retrain or reassign workers before termination. This is an\nearly safeguard against job displacement by AI, rarely implemented by\nother countries.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/learning-from-china-business-leaders-vow-no-ai-related-job-cuts-1780071701", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }