Amazon has decided to shut down its Amazon Today service, which provided same-day delivery from mall-based and brick-and-mortar stores, Launched in 2022, Amazon Today allowed select retailers to offer rapid deliveries through Amazon’s contracted Flex drivers. The company will halt new developments of the service and begin winding it down, impacting around 300 employees, some of whom will be laid off with severance, while others will transition to different roles. This move reflects Amazon’s broader cost-cutting initiatives.

Despite this closure, Amazon continues to focus on expanding its same-day delivery infrastructure, which remains a crucial part of its efforts to stay competitive in the ultrafast delivery market against companies like Instacart and DoorDash. The service had included several prominent retailers such as Staples, Petco, and Fabletics.

Next week, leading tech companies including Nvidia, Google, and Microsoft are set to gather in Las Vegas to showcase cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools aimed at reducing administrative burdens in the healthcare sector. The event, HLTH, which officially kicks off on Sunday, is expected to draw over 12,000 industry leaders. The spotlight will be on AI innovations designed to alleviate the overwhelming clerical tasks faced by doctors and nurses, freeing up time for patient care.

Health professionals often struggle with administrative tasks such as managing patient records, interacting with insurance companies, and adhering to regulatory requirements. These tasks, which are typically manual and fragmented across various platforms, contribute to burnout and exacerbate the nationwide shortage of healthcare workers. By 2028, a shortfall of around 100,000 health professionals is projected, partly due to these administrative challenges, according to research from consulting firm Mercer.

AI tools, particularly those showcased at HLTH, promise to tackle these inefficiencies. For example, Google’s newly available Vertex AI Search for Healthcare allows for quicker access to patient information stored across disparate medical systems, while Microsoft’s tools, like health care agent services and automated documentation solutions, aim to streamline medical processes and alleviate the administrative burden. With the healthcare market poised to reach $6.8 trillion in spending by 2030, tech companies are eager to stake their claim in this evolving sector.

These AI tools are also gaining acceptance within the medical community. A recent Google survey revealed that clinicians spend almost 28 hours per week on administrative tasks, and 91% of providers view AI positively as a way to streamline their workload.

As the industry eagerly anticipates the impact of these AI innovations, it’s clear that the future of healthcare is increasingly intertwined with technological advancements.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Matt Garman delivered a candid message to employees during an all-hands meeting at Amazon’s second headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Addressing concerns about the company’s recently announced five-day in-office mandate, Garman stated that employees uncomfortable with the policy are welcome to seek opportunities elsewhere.

The new office policy requires corporate workers to be in the office five days a week starting January 2, 2025. This change comes as Amazon looks to strengthen collaboration, innovation, and its internal culture, citing its competition with tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI in the race to develop generative AI technology.

Garman mentioned that while some employees expressed dissatisfaction with the mandate, he found that most employees support the shift, though there is still some flexibility with managers’ approval for occasional work-from-home days.

He emphasized the importance of preserving Amazon’s “leadership principles” and the need for in-office collaboration to foster debate, particularly through the company’s value of “disagree and commit,” which is reportedly more difficult to execute over Amazon’s videoconferencing tool, Chime.

This directive has stirred pushback from employees who argue that remote work arrangements are equally productive and better suited for families and caregivers. An internal Slack channel advocating for remote work has gathered over 37,000 employees.

Amazon aims to leave behind its pandemic-era policies to better align with its corporate objectives, including its ongoing focus on AI innovation.