Returning to the public forum after an eight-year hiatus, JD.com co-founder Liu Qiangdong used the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit in Wuzhen, China, to detail his technology vision: an aggressive acceleration toward fully autonomous logistics networks and a dramatic overhaul of how humans will work, spend leisure time, and travel globally.
Speaking on November 8, 2025, Liu described how JD.com, a dominant Chinese e-commerce player, is rapidly adopting intelligent systems to redefine supply chain operations. He revealed that automation now handles approximately 90% of processing tasks within the company’s crucial Beijing sorting facility. This level of implementation sets the stage for a groundbreaking logistical advancement: the planned launch next April of what Liu termed the world’s first completely unmanned delivery station.
JD.com Pioneers Fully Autonomous Logistics
This forthcoming facility is designed to eliminate human involvement in the end-to-end handling process. According to Liu, the station will feature robotic arms managing package transfer internally, while drones will autonomously handle arrivals and departures from the rooftop, functioning entirely without human staff.
Liu asserted that the technologies enabling unmanned warehousing and intelligent distribution have achieved maturity, signaling that human labor is rapidly becoming obsolete in courier logistics. He offered a startling near-term forecast: within five years, authorized delivery robots could possess the capability to securely enter customers’ homes to deposit packages.
Automation Fuels Economic Transformation
While these developments promise significant displacement in traditional manual labor, Liu framed automation not as a replacement for human employees but as a societal enabler. He argued that removing the burden of heavy, repetitive work will free individuals to pursue more meaningful endeavors, sparking demand in intellectual and creative fields.
Specific sectors Liu highlighted for future growth include cultural creativity, historical exploration, and art-themed travel. In a bold economic projection, the JD.com founder predicted the global tourism market could expand tenfold over the next five years, fueled by a populace with more time and disposable income.
Rethinking the Work Week
Liu’s return to the conference, which he last attended in 2017, provided a platform for him to discuss the radical shifts he anticipates in employment patterns. He suggested that routine tasks absorbed by intelligent systems will revolutionize the concept of work itself.
Looking ahead, Liu contemplated a future where human contribution is minimized to potentially just one day—or even one hour—of work per week. This vision positions technology as the driver of unprecedented leisure and economic restructuring, compelling governments and businesses to fundamentally reassess how value is created and distributed in the coming decade.
The implications of JD.com’s advanced automation model suggest that policymakers worldwide must prepare for rapid changes in employment requirements, demanding widespread retraining initiatives focused on creative, analytical, and social skills to harness the opportunities presented by a highly automated economy.