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French Supermarket Launches Robot Delivery

This December 15, 2018, image courtesy of Amazon, shows the company's new delivery system robot 'Scout.' (Amazon/AFP/File).
This December 15, 2018, image courtesy of Amazon, shows the company's new delivery system robot 'Scout.' (Amazon/AFP/File).
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French Supermarket Launches Robot Delivery

This December 15, 2018, image courtesy of Amazon, shows the company's new delivery system robot 'Scout.' (Amazon/AFP/File).
This December 15, 2018, image courtesy of Amazon, shows the company's new delivery system robot 'Scout.' (Amazon/AFP/File).

A French supermarket group plans to use robots inspired by the famous Star Wars droid to transport food to customers in Paris, Reuters reported.

Stepping up the race for automated deliveries with online retailers such as Amazon, Casino's Franprix chain will test the delivery robots on the streets of Paris's 13th arrondissement for a year.

In the French capital, where Amazon has been running its Amazon Prime Now express delivery service since 2016, the speedy and convenient delivery of food has become a battleground among retailers.

Franprix Managing Director Jean-Paul Mochet said of the service, which will be free: "This droid will facilitate the life of city dwellers. We are going to test three droids in this store. If the test is successful, we may extend it to other Franprix stores."

Franprix and its partner, French start-up TwinswHeel which developed the as yet unnamed robot, are running the test after the city's authorities approved the southeastern arrondissement for the experiment.

Using a "Follow Me" button on the machine, the robot is paired with customers through visual recognition, so it can follow them in store and on the street. Initially, the robot will not go on the streets on its own, but will be followed by an operator because Franprix does not have permission for the machine to travel solo yet.

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Meta’s Content Moderation Contractor to Cut 2,000 Jobs in Barcelona

The logo of Meta is seen at the entrance of the company's temporary stand ahead of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland January 18, 2025. (Reuters)
The logo of Meta is seen at the entrance of the company's temporary stand ahead of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland January 18, 2025. (Reuters)
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Meta’s Content Moderation Contractor to Cut 2,000 Jobs in Barcelona

The logo of Meta is seen at the entrance of the company's temporary stand ahead of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland January 18, 2025. (Reuters)
The logo of Meta is seen at the entrance of the company's temporary stand ahead of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland January 18, 2025. (Reuters)

Canadian-based tech company Telus sent home as many as 2,000 people from its content moderation center in Barcelona after Facebook owner Meta Platforms severed its contract, local unions CCOO and UGT said.

The company - operating locally as CCC Barcelona Digital Services - emailed its workers on Thursday placing them on gardening leave saying a client warned on April 1 it would suspended services.

The email, which Reuters had access to, did not specify who the client was, but UGT and CCOO said Telus' client was Meta.

One former and one current employee, who requested anonymity as they signed non-disclosure agreements, said the team was moderating content for Meta.

"Our clients are diversifying their presence and transferring their services to other locations," Telus said, adding the contract continued. The company will provide support to all the affected team members during negotiations with the unions.

A Meta spokesperson said the company has moved the services that were being performed from Barcelona to other locations and the company is not reducing its content review efforts.

Meta invested billions and hired thousands of content moderators globally over the years to police sensitive content, but in January it scrapped its US fact-checking program, following the election of President Donald Trump.

It also said it will stop proactively scanning for hate speech and other types of rule-breaking, reviewing such posts only in response to user reports.

Employees were placed on leave, with full salaries but no work to carry out, while Telus negotiates severance with unions, the email sent to workers said.

The company suspended its operations at noon on Thursday and asked employees at work to leave the office, located in Barcelona's landmark Glories tower downtown.

The team in Barcelona included content moderation services in Catalan, Dutch, French, Hebrew, Portuguese and Spanish, according to the former employee.

Other content moderation centers in countries such as Bulgaria, Colombia and Portugal that used to collaborate with the staff in Barcelona, the current employee said, although a Telus spokesperson said some of these centers are run by other companies.