Do People Have a Place in Automated Warehouses?

Countless industries have been shaken up by AI and robotics, and some people have criticized the technology, saying it’s stealing jobs from humans. 

Of course, the fear of technology taking over isn’t unique to 2026—with every new invention, the landscape of human labor has shifted, and there are always naysayers. 

But in this case, are they right to be wary?

How much does automation really impact fulfillment workers? 

Are robots able to operate completely autonomously, and are they coming for your job next? 

In a recent Unboxing Logistics episode, Kevin Gibbon from Cytronic shared his answers to these questions.

TL;DR As the CEO of a tech-focused third-party logistics center, Kevin is well-versed in warehouse automation. And he doesn’t think humans are going anywhere.

How does automation impact fulfillment workers?

According to Kevin, automation doesn’t have a negative, or even neutral, effect on fulfillment workers. It actually benefits them! With the right technology, the most time- and labor-intensive parts of fulfillment—picking, packing, and sorting—can be made easier.

Simply put, “A lot of those repetitive tasks that humans really are not designed to [do] can be solved a lot [more easily] with automation robotics.”

Speaking about Cytronic, Kevin noted, “We obviously still have people on the floor, and sometimes they’re doing the tasks that [would typically be done in a] regular 3PL.”

“But our goal is to make it a lot easier for them.” 

“So it’s going to be a more lightweight kind of warehousing job, [with more] opportunities to grow within the company and run these things.”

Bottom line? Automating the physically tough jobs frees up employees to focus on more rewarding, mentally stimulating work.

Can robots operate completely autonomously?

Short answer: no. 

Long answer (in Kevin’s words): “There’s no such thing as fully autonomous anything.” 

He explained that when it comes to warehouse robotics, “We look at areas where we could reduce the price point and the human complexity. [We do] not try to be fully autonomous.”

While this might change as technology continues to improve, our current reality is that machines, even advanced “autonomous” robots, still need to be overseen by humans. 

Robotic precision plus human judgement—that’s the recipe for peak efficiency.

Is automation coming for your job?

Toward the end of the episode, Lori asked Kevin what an ecommerce shipper should look for in a 3PL.

His answer revealed something crucial about the role humans play in the logistics industry.

“Honestly, it’s nothing that they say. It’s really just, do you know somebody there? Can you get a good reference? How long have they been working with them? How responsible is the actual team?”

“Because it’s such a human-led process.”

Kevin went on to explain that a 3PL’s performance can even vary by shift. “Imagine you have a bad manager that’s managing 12 or 15 different packers. If they’re not on top of things, if things start getting mis-shipped, the whole operation just goes to crap.”

So, do you need to worry that automation is coming for your job?

As of now, probably not. While technology can do amazing things to make warehousing work easier, fulfillment is ultimately a human-led process. 

Get more insights on automated fulfillment

Want to hear more? Check out Kevin’s full Unboxing Logistics episode, Automated Fulfillment: Changing the Ecommerce Game. He and Lori discuss where manual warehouses are losing time (and money), what an automated warehouse looks like, and the relationship between human workers and robotics.