SAN FRANCISCO, California: Amazon is accelerating its push into artificial intelligence with new tools designed to automate large-scale hiring, as it bets on so-called "agentic" software that can mimic human decision-making while reducing the need for direct human involvement.

At an event on April 27, the company introduced a hiring platform called Connect Talent to help businesses recruit large numbers of workers more quickly, particularly during peak periods such as the holiday season, when Amazon alone hires hundreds of thousands of employees.

The software uses AI to identify candidates, conduct interviews, and generate recruiter notes, all with minimal human input. Amazon said the system can operate continuously, potentially replacing traditional face-to-face interviews in many cases.

Colleen Aubrey, Amazon Web Services' senior vice president of applied AI solutions, said candidates would be aware they are interacting with AI and acknowledged the technology is still evolving.

"The experience continues to get better and better each iteration we go through," she said. "There's some art around making that voice interaction natural and human."

The hiring tool is part of a broader strategy centered on autonomous AI systems, often referred to as "agents," that can plan, decide, and act independently. The approach is gaining traction across the tech industry, with companies such as Alphabet, OpenAI, and Anthropic investing heavily in similar technologies.

Amazon also introduced its internal AI design philosophy, which it calls "humorphism," aimed at making software more intuitive by adapting to human workflows rather than forcing users to adjust to machines.

"How do we translate the human behaviors of working together into a product?" Aubrey said. "That's what we're going after, and hopefully you'll see that."

The push comes as the company continues to invest heavily in AI infrastructure and partnerships. Earlier this year, Amazon said it would invest up to US$50 billion in OpenAI, while Microsoft recently signaled changes to its own relationship with the AI company, potentially opening the door to broader collaboration across cloud platforms.

Alongside hiring tools, Amazon unveiled Connect Decisions, a system designed to analyze data and support supply chain planning and purchasing. The company said the product draws on its own experience managing large-scale logistics operations.

"With Connect Decisions, companies will be able to have AI do that work behind the scenes and be able to equip a planner with the data that they need," Aubrey said.