Amazon’s big robotics showcase highlighted the company’s vision for “AI at work,” but the event also revealed a widening gap between its public messaging and media coverage about automation’s impact on jobs.

When Amazon Web Services suffered an outage on Monday morning, it practically took down the internet with it. There went all of Amazon’s services, from its shopping hub to its Ring doorbell cameras. ChatGPT went quiet. “Smart” mattresses became unsleepable. Video games like Fortnite blinked out, as did platforms like Snapchat and banking apps.