At the 2026 APEC China CEO Forum held on Sunday, JD.com founder Liu Qiangdong revealed that the company has launched an internal Nirvana Plan aimed at helping its 700,000 delivery workers and other frontline employees adapt to the impact of AI and automation.
Liu said he believes robots will eventually take over package deliveries, eliminating the need for traditional couriers. “In the future, deliveries will be made by robots. There will be no need for delivery workers,” he said. “But I don’t want our 700,000 employees to be left without jobs or income.”
To prepare for that transition, JD has partnered with 120 schools across China to provide technical training programs for employees, according to Liu. Under the initiative, workers will be trained in skills such as robot maintenance and servicing, enabling them to take on new roles as automation becomes more widespread. [IThome, in Chinese]