SINGAPORE - The science fiction trope of artificial intelligence (AI) going against human beings has been creeping into real life, with some businesses engaged in "robo firings". AI ethics experts said firing workers using AI is problematic partly because algorithms, at this time, cannot fully model human thinking and replace human intelligence. The Verge reported in 2019 that American e-commerce giant Amazon could automatically fire warehouse workers based on productivity metrics. A Californian law kicked in this year prohibiting warehouse bosses from imposing productivity quotas that prevent staff from, for instance, taking a break. Amazon declined to say what changes it would make to comply, Bloomberg reported last December.