Amazon announced a series of new technologies designed to modernize its operations and empower employees, including the Blue Jay robotics system, the Project Eluna agentic AI model, and new smart delivery glasses for drivers. The initiatives reflect Amazon’s broader strategy to integrate artificial intelligence and automation across its fulfillment centers, delivery services, and sustainability programs — combining human expertise with intelligent systems to increase efficiency, reduce waste, and improve working conditions.

At the heart of Amazon’s new rollout are two flagship systems: Blue Jay, a next-generation robotics platform that handles repetitive tasks, and Project Eluna, an agentic AI model built to improve fulfillment efficiency. Both were engineered to empower employees, reduce manual strain, and streamline operations.

Blue Jay consolidates multiple assembly lines into a single coordinated process by using several robotic arms to perform picking, stowing, and consolidating tasks simultaneously. The system effectively merges what were once three separate workflows, increasing throughput while reducing space requirements.

Currently being tested in South Carolina, Blue Jay allows front-line employees to shift from repetitive physical tasks toward higher-value work like quality control and problem-solving. This reduces fatigue and improves accuracy while ensuring customers receive the correct products more quickly. The system is also designed with safety protocols and ergonomic optimization, aligning with Amazon’s goal of making warehouse jobs more sustainable and less physically demanding.

Project Eluna brings a new level of adaptability to Amazon’s logistics network through agentic AI capabilities that interpret real-time and historical data from fulfillment centers. The system translates complex operational information into natural-language insights, allowing managers and floor operators to make better, faster decisions without parsing multiple dashboards.

Deployed initially at a Tennessee fulfillment center ahead of the holiday season, Project Eluna helps teams anticipate bottlenecks, plan efficient workflows, and reduce downtime. Beyond optimization, it also supports preventive safety planning, suggesting ergonomic rotations and maintenance schedules to protect employees and keep operations running smoothly. By turning vast streams of data into actionable guidance, Project Eluna reflects Amazon’s broader vision for AI as an operational partner, not just a background system.

Amazon’s next frontier in driver innovation centers on AI-powered smart glasses, a hands-free wearable designed to transform the delivery experience for its drivers. Developed with input from hundreds of Delivery Associates, the system serves as a driver’s companion throughout the delivery journey, allowing them to work hands-free while keeping their focus on their safety and surroundings.

The smart glasses display essential information directly in the driver’s field of vision, enabling them to scan packages, follow turn-by-turn walking directions, and capture proof of delivery without needing to reference a smartphone. This design reduces distractions and enhances situational awareness on the job.

Powered by AI and computer vision, the glasses can detect potential hazards such as uneven walkways, pets, or other obstacles and share that information to improve future deliveries. The result is a delivery process that is safer, more efficient, and more intuitive—an evolution that demonstrates how Amazon continues to integrate intelligent technology directly into everyday work.

Amazon is also revolutionizing how it trains drivers through virtual reality (VR) learning modules at its Integrated Last Mile Driver Academies (iLMDA). These immersive simulations help new and existing drivers practice real-world scenarios before hitting the road.

Since launching in 2022, more than 300,000 drivers have completed VR training, which helps them build awareness, safety habits, and problem-solving skills. Based on strong results, iLMDA is set to expand to 95 delivery stations across North America by December 2026.

The newest program, EVOLVE (Enhanced Vehicle Operation Learning Virtual Experience), is a driving simulator that delivers real-time feedback on performance and reinforces defensive driving skills in a safe, controlled virtual environment. Over 6,000 new drivers in Colorado, Maryland, and Florida have already participated, with a 90% behind-the-wheel participation rate. Amazon plans to roll out EVOLVE to 40 additional sites by 2026, making it a cornerstone of driver education and safety advancement.

Amazon’s operational innovations are driving record speeds for Prime members, with the company forecasting its fastest delivery times ever in 2025. A $4 billion investment will triple rural delivery coverage by 2026, expanding Same-Day and Next-Day access across the U.S.

AI-powered demand forecasting is also helping position inventory closer to customers, while Amazon Pharmacy now offers Same-Day medication delivery in major cities including New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle—with recently announced kiosks delivering medications in minutes.

Amazon’s evolving delivery fleet includes drones in Arizona, e-cargo bikes in dense cities, and Zero Carbon-certified fulfillment centers like the one in Sacramento—demonstrating how speed and sustainability can coexist.

Originally launched during the pandemic, Amazon’s free home food delivery program has been extended through 2028. In partnership with more than 40 food banks across the U.S. and U.K., Amazon has delivered over 60 million meals since 2020.

By leveraging its logistics network, the company enables families facing transportation or health challenges to receive groceries directly at home—offering not just access but reliability and dignity. Using the same powerful delivery infrastructure that serves millions of customers daily, Amazon and its food bank partners are helping expand access to critical food assistance by meeting people where they are.

The extended commitment ensures that food bank partners can plan ahead, invest confidently in home delivery operations, and continue reaching neighbors who might otherwise go without essential nutrition. What began as a pandemic response has evolved into a long-term mission to make food access more equitable, turning Amazon’s delivery network into a tool for social good.

Beyond delivery, Amazon is applying AI to reduce waste, improve quality control, and support disaster response—while advancing long-term clean energy and environmental goals.

AI-driven shopping tools now help customers find the right product fit, reducing returns and associated environmental impacts by avoiding unnecessary trips. The company’s Packaging Decision Engine optimizes packaging choices, helping to minimize material use and waste. Since 2015, this system has contributed to avoiding 4.2 million metric tons of packaging waste worldwide.

Project P.I., another AI-based system, identifies product defects before shipping, reducing returns and waste by catching issues earlier in the process. During natural disasters like Hurricane Helene, Amazon’s Disaster Relief team uses AI to analyze drone imagery, helping first responders locate survivors faster and coordinate more effective search and rescue operations.

To help power its growing AI infrastructure sustainably, Amazon is investing in next-generation nuclear energy—specifically, small modular reactors—through a partnership with X-energy that’s expected to generate enough clean power for 3.8 million U.S. homes annually by 2039.

Additionally, the company’s Water-AI Nexus Center of Excellence supports more than 30 global water replenishment projects, scaling recycled cooling systems and sharing best practices for AI-driven water conservation across the data center industry.

Q1: What is Blue Jay and why is it significant?
A: Blue Jay is a robotics system that performs multiple fulfillment tasks simultaneously, improving speed and efficiency while reducing repetitive labor.

Q2: How does Project Eluna use agentic AI?
A: Project Eluna leverages real-time data to provide natural-language insights, enabling operations teams to make faster, safer decisions.

Q3: What benefits do Amazon’s smart glasses bring to drivers?
A: The smart glasses allow hands-free navigation, scanning, and hazard detection, keeping drivers safer and more focused during deliveries.

Q4: How is Amazon advancing sustainable AI infrastructure?
A: Amazon is investing in clean nuclear energy, AI-driven water conservation, and packaging reduction to support sustainable operations.

Q5: How does the extended food delivery program reflect Amazon’s broader mission?
A: It shows Amazon’s commitment to using its logistics network for social good, ensuring food security for families through 2028 and beyond.

Amazon’s latest wave of AI and robotics innovations illustrates how the world’s largest retailers are redefining the intersection of technology, labor, and sustainability. These systems don’t just improve delivery times—they represent a shift toward using AI to enhance human capability rather than replace it.

For employees, the changes could mean safer, less repetitive jobs that focus more on decision-making and problem-solving, supported by tools like Project Eluna and Blue Jay. For customers, the benefits translate into faster, more reliable deliveries, especially in rural areas where Same-Day and Next-Day service was once impractical.

On a community level, initiatives such as the free home food delivery program show how commercial logistics can double as a public service network, addressing food insecurity and accessibility gaps.

From an environmental standpoint, Amazon’s emphasis on sustainable AI and clean energy investments points to an emerging expectation that large-scale AI deployments must be resource-efficient and climate-conscious. The company’s integration of small modular reactors, packaging optimization, and water reuse systems sets a potential model for other global enterprises seeking to offset AI’s energy demands.

For society at large, Amazon’s approach highlights a defining tension of the AI era: how to balance automation with equity, efficiency with empathy, and global reach with local responsibility. If implemented thoughtfully, the company’s model could signal a future in which AI-driven operations enhance both economic and social resilience—one where innovation, employment, and sustainability can advance together.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant used for research and drafting. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.