京东创办人刘强东表示，该公司的70万名送货员迟早会被机器人取代。为了应对这一趋势，京东已与约120所学校签署合约，对快递员进行培训，使他们转型从事机器人维修与保养等新工作，刘强东强调科技应改善人类生活而非剥夺工作权。

机器人的快速普及引发了中国决策者对弱势劳工就业前景的担忧。目前中国的「零工经济」从业者已达3.2亿人，占城镇就业人数的40%，而在青年失业率居高不下的背景下，自动化对蓝领与白领岗位都带来了显著的就业挑战。

虽然中国政府在五年计划中将机器人技术列为现代产业体系的核心，但官员也积极承诺为零工经济从业者提供支持，如扩大社会保险覆盖范围。同时，人权观察组织呼吁政府保护劳工权利，强调若无自主结社与监督机制，纸上承诺将流于形式。

Richard Liu, founder of JD.com, warned that the company's 700,000 delivery workers will eventually be replaced by robots. To address this, JD.com has partnered with about 120 schools to retrain couriers for new roles such as robot repair and maintenance, with Liu emphasizing that technology should improve human lives rather than strip away the right to work.

The rapid adoption of robots has raised concerns among Chinese policymakers regarding the employment prospects of vulnerable workers. With China's gig workers projected to reach 320 million this year, representing 40% of urban employment, automation poses significant challenges to both blue-collar and white-collar jobs amidst high youth unemployment.

While Beijing's five-year plan places robotics at the heart of its modern industrial system, officials are striving to support gig workers by exploring measures like expanding social insurance coverage. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has urged the government to protect worker rights, stressing that written promises mean little without the freedom to organize and hold platforms accountable.