Amazon is reviewing how its engineers deploy AI-assisted tools after a series of outages disrupted its retail website, reportedly locking customers out of checkout and key account features.
According to reports, the retailer experienced four ‘high-severity’ incidents in a single week, including a six-hour outage that prevented shoppers from accessing pricing, account information and checkout functionality.
Internal discussions reportedly examined whether generative AI-assisted development played a role in the disruptions.
The incidents were reviewed during a regular operations meeting led by Dave Treadwell, senior vice president of ecommerce foundation at Amazon.
Internal documents referenced by the FT noted “GenAI-assisted changes” were initially identified as a contributing factor to a broader pattern of outages dating back to the third quarter.
However, Amazon has disputed that characterisation.
In a company blog post responding to the reports, the retailer said only one incident involved AI tools and that no outages were caused by AI-generated code.
Instead, Amazon said the issue stemmed from an engineer acting on incorrect guidance produced by an AI agent that had referenced outdated material from an internal wiki.
A spokesperson said: “None of the incidents involved AI-written code. The issue related to an engineer following inaccurate advice that an agent inferred from an outdated internal wiki.”
The company also said the meeting reviewing the outages was part of its routine operational review process rather than an emergency investigation.
Additional oversight for AI-related deployments
Despite pushing back on some claims, Amazon acknowledged that internal safeguards around generative AI use are still evolving.
Reports citing internal communications suggest the company may introduce additional checks, described internally as “controlled friction”, when deploying AI-assisted changes to critical parts of the retail platform.
Such systems underpin some of the most commercially sensitive elements of the ecommerce experience, including product pricing, account management and checkout processes.
AI investment and workforce changes
The scrutiny comes at a pivotal moment for Amazon’s AI strategy. The retailer is dramatically increasing its investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure, with projected capital expenditure of around $200bn this year.
At the same time, the company has been reducing its corporate workforce.
Amazon cut around 14,000 corporate roles in October, followed by a further 16,000 layoffs in January. Those reductions add to more than 27,000 jobs eliminated across 2022 and 2023 as the company restructures its organisation and seeks greater operational efficiency.
Chief executive Andy Jassy has previously said AI-driven productivity gains could allow the company to operate with fewer employees in the future.
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