London: Amazon has unveiled a next-generation artificial intelligence-powered warehouse robot capable of responding to conversational commands, marking a major step forward in the company’s automation strategy. The announcement comes alongside a massive €10 billion ($11.6 billion) investment plan aimed at expanding and modernizing Amazon’s European fulfillment and delivery network.
The new version of Amazon’s warehouse robot, known as Proteus, was showcased during the company’s “Delivering the Future” event at its fulfillment center in Dartford, near London. Unlike earlier versions that operated only in designated warehouse zones, the upgraded robot can move throughout warehouse floors and perform tasks based on simple conversational instructions from employees.
According to Amazon Robotics executives, workers will no longer need specialized software commands to direct the robot. Instead, employees can simply tell the machine what needs to be done, while the AI system determines task priorities, routes and timing autonomously. The development reflects the growing role of generative AI and intelligent automation in large-scale logistics operations.
The company said the upgraded Proteus robot is expected to be deployed across European facilities during the first half of 2027. The technology is designed to improve warehouse efficiency, speed up product movement and support workers handling increasingly complex fulfillment operations.
In addition to Proteus, Amazon introduced several other robotics innovations. These include STARK, a robotic tote-handling system first tested in Barcelona, and Vulcan, the company’s first robot equipped with a sense of touch. Amazon plans to expand these technologies across multiple European facilities over the coming years.
The robotics announcement is part of Amazon’s broader European growth strategy. The company revealed plans to invest approximately €10 billion in its fulfillment infrastructure, logistics operations and delivery capabilities across the continent. The investment aims to enhance delivery speeds and strengthen Amazon’s competitive position in the rapidly evolving e-commerce sector.
As part of the expansion, Amazon plans to launch more than 25 new sub-same-day delivery locations across Europe, including facilities in the United Kingdom and Germany. The company is also expanding its ultra-fast essentials delivery service, Amazon Now, into additional cities as consumer demand for rapid delivery continues to grow.
The investment highlights Amazon’s increasing focus on combining artificial intelligence, robotics and logistics infrastructure to improve operational efficiency. The company has been aggressively expanding its AI capabilities, with CEO Andy Jassy identifying artificial intelligence as a central pillar of Amazon’s future growth strategy.
Industry analysts believe the latest developments could significantly influence the future of warehouse management and supply-chain operations. AI-powered robots that can understand natural language instructions may help reduce operational complexity, improve productivity and enable faster fulfillment of customer orders.
Amazon also announced that Alexa+, its next-generation AI assistant, will be rolled out to 10 additional countries in 2027, further demonstrating the company’s commitment to integrating artificial intelligence across its consumer and enterprise operations.
The latest announcement comes amid an industry-wide race among global technology companies to deploy AI-driven automation at scale. As businesses increasingly invest in artificial intelligence infrastructure and robotics, Amazon’s new warehouse technologies are expected to play a key role in shaping the future of e-commerce logistics and delivery networks worldwide.
