Amazon service was taken down by AI coding bot

Financial Times

February 20, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

Amazon's Kiro tool, an AI-powered coding assistant, experienced a significant outage in December, leading to widespread disruption of its services. The tech giant has attributed the incident to "user error" rather than any flaw in the AI system itself. This development highlights the potential risks and challenges associated with integrating AI tools into critical business processes. The Kiro tool, designed to assist developers with coding tasks, was reportedly used by thousands of Amazon employees across various teams. During the outage, which lasted several hours, many internal projects were delayed due to the reliance on this automated system. While Amazon has not disclosed specific details about what went wrong, company officials emphasized that it was a human error in configuring the tool's settings rather than an inherent problem with the AI technology. The incident underscores the importance of proper training and oversight when implementing AI systems within organizations. Although Kiro is primarily designed to enhance efficiency and reduce repetitive tasks, its widespread adoption across Amazon's operations made it a single point of failure during the outage. This has sparked a broader discussion about the reliability of AI tools in critical business environments. For businesses relying on similar technologies, this serves as a cautionary tale. While AI can significantly streamline workflows, it also introduces new layers of complexity and risk. Organizations must establish robust safeguards and protocols to mitigate potential issues that could arise from human mistakes or misconfigurations. Amazon's response to the incident has been notable for its emphasis on user responsibility rather than attributing blame to the AI itself. This approach aligns with growing industry trends that prioritize transparency and accountability in AI-driven systems. As

Verticals

businessfinance

Originally published on Financial Times on 2/20/2026