Podcast Summary: Amazon Robotics Chief Technologist Tye Brady Talks Physical AI

Podcast: Bloomberg Talks
Host: Bloomberg
Guest: Tye Brady, Chief Technologist at Amazon Robotics
Date: December 19, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Bloomberg speaks with Tye Brady, Chief Technologist at Amazon Robotics, about the real-world evolution and deployment of physical AI and robotics in Amazon’s warehouses. The discussion covers Amazon’s philosophy toward robotics development, the practical application of new technologies like Blue Jay and Aluna, AI-powered delivery tools, and how automation is changing the relationship between humans and machines in the workforce.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Philosophy of Robotics at Amazon

[02:26 – 03:37]

• Amazon’s robotics strategy starts with problem-solving, not with the pursuit of “cool” humanoid forms.
  • “We usually start with what problem are we trying to solve?... Should it fold laundry, should it do your dishes? Then we derive form. And you kind of get the cart ahead of the horse when you start with form first and then see how can you apply this technology.” – Tye Brady (02:26)
• Example: Dishwashers outperform the idea of a humanoid robot washing dishes because of their efficiency and seamless integration.
  • “It'd be kind of comical to see a robot pick up the dish, pick up a sponge, put the soap on it, scrub the dish, and put it in the drying rack. When you have this really practical robot in your kitchen today called the dishwasher… So we think about function first and then allow the form to follow.” – Tye Brady (03:06)

2. How Amazon’s Warehouse Robotics Improve Productivity

[01:27 – 02:09, 03:58 – 04:31]

• Robotics and AI are tightly integrated into warehouse operations for efficiency and scale, especially during the holiday season.
  • “Amazon is building our physical AI systems to help better the customer experience… shipping millions and millions of products every day here for the holiday season.” – Tye Brady (01:27)
• Robots are used to “supercharge” operations and assist employees, not replace them.
  • “We want to eliminate the menial, the mundane, and the repetitive through the use of robotics as a tool set for employees… foundation models are making our robots smarter, more affordable, more adaptable, more conversational…” – Tye Brady (03:58)

3. AI-Powered Delivery Glasses

[04:31 – 05:22]

• A new tool for delivery drivers, the smart glasses, streamlines package drop-off and improves customer experience.
  • Key Features:
    • Hands-free photo capture.
    • Route optimization.
    • Access to delivery notes.
    • Focus on employee usability and customer satisfaction.
  • “Allow the driver to understand where the delivery should be… hands free… see their delivery notes of where they should place that the delivery at the right spot. That's just right for our customer.” – Tye Brady (04:48)
• Deployment is in early stages. Alpha and beta phases typically last a year before wide rollout, after rigorous testing for employee value and safety.
  • “We take a very measured approach when things roll out… test that at a smaller scale and then we go into the, you know, the millions and millions of scale.” – Tye Brady (05:35)

4. Blue Jay and Aluna: Next-Gen Robotic & AI Systems

[06:00 – 07:37]

• Aluna: Agentic AI for real-time monitoring.
  • Currently used in “monitor only” mode in peak seasons.
  • Consolidates many dashboards into human-readable insights and recommendations, improving operator efficiency.
  • “What Aluna does is it gives operators a complete real time view to help guide their every move… can be consolidated into human consumable text, human consumable recommendations...” – Tye Brady (06:20)
• Blue Jay: Advanced robotics for sub-same day delivery.
  • Compact assembly lines using robotic arms to pick orders efficiently.
  • Enables rapid delivery by combining storage and fulfillment processes.
  • “You can think of this as three assembly lines kind of combined into one, where we have robotic arms picking orders for our customers...” – Tye Brady (06:57)

5. Impact of Robotics on Peak Season Operations

[07:37 – 08:55]

• Robotics and AI help manage labor fluctuations, prevent bottlenecks, and improve delivery timing—“all of the above.”
• Exception handling is crucial at scale; just a 1% error rate is significant when handling millions of packages.
  • “Any tools that we have to help us with the exception handling, maybe one of the systems is not picking up a particular object… Or maybe a mobility system is having some bottlenecks... So tools that allow them to understand the situation better, perceive their environment better through the use of robotics, and then have truly physical agents to help with that, in concert with our employees is allowing us to deal with all the exceptions that we see, you know, every day, especially at peak.” – Tye Brady (07:57)

6. Automation and the Human Workforce: Up-skilling and Job Change

[08:55 – 10:18]

• Automation and robotics aren’t just about reducing headcount but improving the quality and safety of work.
• Amazon is committed to up-skilling workers, with a $2.5 billion pledge to prepare 50 million people for tech’s impact on work.
  • “We're building better machines for them. We're listening to them. We're iterating on our designs... We're upskilling them. We have a $2.5 billion pledge that we call Future Ready to prepare 50 million people for how technology will impact and change not only the nature of work but also their everyday lives.” – Tye Brady (09:20)
• Robotics is making warehouses safer and letting workers focus on higher-value tasks.
  • “Allowing machines to do the heavy lifting and the repetitive actions and allowing people to work with them in order to use this beautiful thing here…” – Tye Brady (10:13)

Notable Quotes

• “We solve problems, everyday problems, and at an incredible scale that actually advances the state of the art in robotics.” – Tye Brady (02:46)
• “We're supercharging the world's largest fleet of robotics out there with AI…” – Tye Brady (03:58)
• “It is all the above. Plus what it's allowing us to do is really exception handling... when you ship millions and millions every day, just 1% of exception handling can kind of eat your lunch.” – Tye Brady (07:57)
• “We take a very measured approach when things roll out. We test it, we make sure it's great for our employees. Does it add value for our employees? Does it create a safer environment for our employees?” – Tye Brady (05:35)
• “We're upskilling them. We have a $2.5 billion pledge that we call Future Ready to prepare 50 million people…” – Tye Brady (09:35)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:27 – How Amazon’s physical AI is used in the warehouse
• 02:26 – The problem-first philosophy in robotics (humanoid robots vs. functional robots)
• 03:58 – AI’s role in supercharging robotics operations
• 04:48 – AI-powered delivery glasses described
• 06:20 – Aluna and Blue Jay systems explained
• 07:57 – Robotics’ impact on peak operations and exception handling
• 09:20 – Workforce effects: up-skilling, safety, and job evolution

Memorable Moments

• The comparison of a humanoid robot washing dishes to the simplicity and success of the dishwasher as a “robot” speaks to Amazon’s focus on function over futuristic forms.
• The emphasis on exception handling at massive scale gives real insight into the unique challenges faced by Amazon due to its sheer volume.
• The major commitment to up-skilling employees, not job elimination, reframes the automation discussion and showcases Amazon’s investment in workforce development.