Amazon is taking steps to address how artificial intelligence and automation is changing its workforce. Employees are training to manage and repair the machines now able to do much of the work people used to do.

A mid the wave of hype over artificial intelligence, a growing chorus of fear has sprung around software engineering, where executives are threatening to automate swaths of work. But an ongoing overhaul at America's second-largest private employer has a more immediate warning - already on warehouse floors.

Amazon's AI systems and advanced technology will create a "safe, more productive" environment for employees as the e-commerce giant plans to avoid hiring 600,000 workers by 2033.

The robotics system is called Blue Jay, and Amazon said it's already being deployed in one of its South Carolina warehouses.

Amazon, which has asserted its dominance in retail and the tech industry with its cloud computing services, has turned heads this year with dramatic workforce changes as it invests billions into artificial intelligence.

They can help drivers find the right packages inside their delivery vans, give them turn by turn directions to the right address, and take a hands-free photo of a successful delivery instead of needing them to whip out a phone. (Ever had an Amazon driver tell you “please don’t take your package yet, I have to take a pic first?”)

As Amazon plans to automate more than half a million jobs, what roles are likely to be impacted? Here's a list of jobs that could be replaced by AI and automation.

Also, the micromobility startup spun out of Rivian, has landed a commercial deal with Amazon to supply the e-commerce company with thousands of its new pedal-assist cargo quad vehicles that are big enough to carry more than 400 pounds of packages and small enough to use a bike lane.

The state of New Jersey sued Amazon.com on Wednesday, accusing the company of unlawfully refusing workplace accommodations to warehouse employees who have disabilities or were pregnant and firing some who asked for them.