Amazon deployed branded autonomous robots in San Francisco on Tuesday in a publicity stunt designed to spark buzz about its new generative AI hub that opens this week.
Initially, the company said in a press release that it planned to have robots "roaming up and down Market Street" but an Amazon spokesperson later clarified that the robots would be contained in a plaza on private property next to the hub at 525 Market Street.
According to the original press release, the new hub at AWS's downtown office is intended to be "a one-stop destination for startups and developers to learn how to use and implement generative AI technology, get up to speed on the latest trends, and connect with a wider community of technology and business experts."
Four small wheeled robots, made by Berkeley startup Kiwibot, started roving around the plaza at 525 Market Street Tuesday afternoon, covered with branding promoting the "AWS Gen AI Loft."
A smattering of passersby eyed the robots while around half a dozen news media workers hovered around taking photos and gathering reactions, though at this point, San Franciscans may be used to such sights and stunts.
San Francisco's Department of Public Works, which regulates the use of autonomous robots, confirmed to the Business Times that Amazon didn't have any permits for deploying robots on public sidewalks but that tech giant said "that the demo will be on their property and not on the sidewalk. We have no issue with that," DPW spokesperson Rachel Gordon said.
Delivery robots have periodically popped up in San Francisco for several years, sparking both curiosity and controversy.
“Sidewalks are for people, not robots. Safety first esp for our seniors + kids," now-former Supervisor Norman Yee tweeted in 2017.
Yee initially proposed a ban on robots roving around public sidewalks but the city opted to allow some limited use on sidewalks, with proper permits. State regulators have authority over autonomous vehicles on public roads.
When it comes to sidewalks, San Francisco defines an "Autonomous Delivery Device" as "a motorized device used to transport items, products, or any other materials on City sidewalks for commercial purposes, and guided or controlled without a human operator sitting or standing upon and actively and physically controlling the movements of the device."
That includes advertising and marketing purposes, and a permit is also required.
Last year, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on an Estonian company that had deployed at least one delivery robot downtown, apparently in an attempt to test the waters in the city.
The San Francisco Business Times also spotted autonomous "vending machines" from a Mountain View startup, Tortoise, in Dolores Park around two years ago.
In 2022, Pacific Gas & Electric pulled security robots from its property at 19th and Folsom streets in San Francisco and Gap also unsuccessfully tried to get a permit for robot security devices in the city, the San Francisco Standard previously reported.
