Amazon staff use internal AI tool to boost usage stats, report says

In short: Some Amazon employees are using an internal AI tool for extra tasks to increase their AI usage numbers, according to the Financial Times.

What's going on

Amazon has been rolling out an in-house tool called MeshClaw, according to the Financial Times and three people familiar with the matter. MeshClaw lets employees set up “AI agents”, which are software helpers that can take actions for you, like a digital assistant that clicks buttons and sends messages.

Some employees told the Financial Times that co-workers are using MeshClaw to automate tasks that are not really needed, mainly to increase their “token” use. Tokens are the chunks of text or data an AI system processes, like a meter that counts how much the tool is being used.

The report says this behavior is linked to internal pressure to adopt AI. Amazon introduced targets for more than 80 percent of developers to use AI each week, and it has tracked token usage on internal leaderboards. Amazon has said token stats will not be used in performance reviews, but some employees believe managers still pay attention to them.

MeshClaw can reportedly do things like start software updates, sort through emails, and work with tools like Slack. Amazon said the tool helps “thousands of Amazonians” automate repetitive tasks and supports safe and responsible use of generative AI (AI that creates text and other content).

What to watch

Employees also raised security concerns about giving an AI agent permission to act on their behalf. The key question is whether companies will change how they measure AI adoption, so people focus on useful work rather than chasing higher usage numbers.

Source: Financial Times