Amazon is testing whether humanoid robots that walk around with glowing eyes could help staff its warehouses. The company has in recent years added a host of new technologies as part of its Amazon Robotics arm, primarily using it in its warehouses, including arms and small carts that are able to help pack orders. It now has 750,000 robots working alongside employees, it said. This week it unveiled more of hose robots, including a system named Sequoia that helps pack its itinerary at those warehouses. But the most dramatic new robot was a system named Digit that is now being tested for Amazon’s operations. Amazon calls Digit a “mobile manipulator solution”, and pointed to the fact that they are able to move around and grasp items in ways that other robots aren’t. It does so in an uncannily human form, with glowing eyes in the front of its head and arms and legs that allow it to walk around. The system was built by Agility Robotics, which has a partnership with Amazon. It is 175cm tall, can work for 16 hours out of a day and has the ability to perceive people and crouch and squat, for instance. “Its size and shape are well suited for buildings that are designed for humans, and we believe that there is a big opportunity to scale a mobile manipulator solution, such as Digit, which can work collaboratively with employees,” Amazon said in an announcement. “Our initial use for this technology will be to help employees with tote recycling, a highly repetitive process of picking up and moving empty totes once inventory has been completely picked out of them.” Tye Brady, chief technologist at Amazon Robotics, said that he was more interested in how the humanoid form could allow for new kinds of mobility, such as using legs to walk over varied terrain, rather than having it mimic the look of humans. He also suggested that if the robot’s shape came to be a barrier to adoption then Amazon “can change that”. The robot is still in testing for now, in an attempt to understand how it might be used, and is not deployed in any of Amazon's normal operations. It may never actually be used, it suggested, if the project finds that such robots are not helpful. Amazon also committed to ensure “robotics are collaborative and support employees”. In an apparent attempt to allay concerns about the robots taking jobs and leaving its staff redundant, it pointed to the growth in new jobs that has come even as its investment in robotics has increased, and said that there were 700 new job categories that didn’t exist before that expansion. “From the hardware to the artificial intelligence embedded in our robotics, we are passionate about technology that makes the work experience of our employees safer, easier, and less repetitive,” Amazon committed. It said that the extra time saved with robots would allow employees to “take a step back” and evaluate how orders were being fulfilled, for instance. Amazon is just one of a range of companies looking at humanoid robots for logistical work. Tesla, for instance, has a system called “Optimus” which Elon Musk has suggested could eventually become its biggest business, but which is yet to actually be rolled out. Read More Amazon to start dropping packages into people’s gardens using drones in the UK Tesla’s profits dip as Musk goes on rant about staff working from home Facebook has stopped working

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YouTube’s UK and Ireland boss has insisted there will always be a future for long-form videos despite increasing competition from the likes of TikTok. Alison Lomax, who took on the post in January this year, told the PA news agency that YouTube is committed to a multi-format proposition, through its traditional longer videos as well as Shorts, launched in 2021 to draw back some of the audiences that had switched to short-form rivals such as TikTok. She said YouTube Music is rolling out its new podcast feature in response to increasing demand for podcasts from younger viewers, who she stressed are not turning their backs on longer-form content. Having launched in the US in April, it is now set to be unveiled in the UK by the end of the year, according to Ms Lomax. But it comes as TikTok continues to enjoy exponential growth, with mobile phone usage driving consumers towards short-form video. Speaking on the launch of YouTube’s latest UK impact report, Ms Lomax said: “Generation Z have really embraced the podcast, but they’re not 60 seconds.” She said in the future “there will still be a world for multi-format and you see that with creators”. “Just because you can create short form content, does not mean that they do. “People experiment with different formats.” (AI) is the buzz word of the year, but it's been part of what we are doing for many years Alison Lomax, YouTube UK and Ireland managing director The group, owned by Google parent Alphabet, said in its impact report that more than 45,000 full-time jobs were created among its creator economy in 2022, while its “creative ecosystem” contributed over £2 billion to wider UK economic output last year. The research, conducted by Oxford Economics, found that more than 65,000 creators and partners in the UK receive income linked to their YouTube presence, with over a third of British creators who earn money from YouTube saying it was their main source of revenue. Ms Lomax said recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) were also presenting “real opportunities” for its creators. The group has been working with Google DeepMind, which is headquartered in Britain, to design AI solutions to create performance improvements on the platform for creators and viewers. Ms Lomax said YouTube has been using AI since 2017, including to help develop content moderation in the battle against misinformation, something that is becoming increasingly important in the area of health and in particular ahead of upcoming elections in the US and UK. She said: “(AI) is the buzz word of the year, but it’s been part of what we are doing for many years.” Echoing recent comments from YouTube chief executive Neal Mohan, she said the industry is “at a critical inflection point” with AI. “We need to boldly embrace it, but also by being mindful about responsibility.” YouTube recently announced an initiative that will see it partner with the music industry as artists face increasing challenges from the rise of AI technology. It has launched YouTube’s Music AI Incubator to help inform its approach to the technology, look at how it can enhance creativity and address issues. “We’re aware of the big opportunity but also we are aware of the downsides… we want to be part of the solution and the opportunity,” said Ms Lomax. The music initiative is the first of a number of YouTube announcements in the AI arena this year, she said, adding it is “something we’re thinking about very deeply for the ecosystem”. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Robotic dog brought into survey historic Cold War weapons testing facilities Period and fertility tracking apps scrutinised over data security concerns Russian cyber-attacks ‘relentless’ as threat of WW3 grows, expert warns

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