Earlier this year the German automotive giant BMW signed a commercial agreement with Figure, a start-up maker of AI-powered humanoid robots. The deal will foster the introduction of those intelligent walking automatons first to the company’s Spartanburg, South Carolina manufacturing facility in the U.S. According to the two companies the robots will take on some of the more “difficult, unsafe, or tedious” tasks that humans have historically performed when assembling automobiles.
Figure’s robots, which look exactly like any science fiction fan has long imagined they would, are likely what most people envision when they think of AI’s industrial applications – mechanical human look-alikes doing jobs people once did. The reality, however, is much more nuanced – and people friendly – than that.
While Figure’s robots may soon be getting to work in roles that were once the sole province of people, recent research published by the global automation, aviation, and energy transition giant Honeywell finds that AI leaders in the industrial space are frequently applying AI in ways that are designed to be additive to human effort as opposed to a replacement for it. One example cited in the Honeywell report is the way AI can be applied to address the widening skills gap in U.S. manufacturing.
Lucian Boldea, who is President and CEO of Honeywell Industrial Automation, talked about the way his own company has been applying AI to augment worker skills. “There can be tens of thousands of instruments, equipment, and valves needed to process and manufacture a product and many of the parts we supply manufacturers require highly experienced technicians for operation and maintenance – and there are fewer and fewer of those experienced technicians available. With AI training and AI as a ‘co-pilot’ the skills of less experienced technicians can more quickly be upgraded, turning them into more elite experts that perform tasks based on enterprise knowledge and best practices. In turn, plants’ operations can run more safely and reliably by dramatically reducing human error.”
The Honeywell research, which included a survey of 1,600 executives who make AI decisions for their companies across 12 global markets, found that many companies are discovering the same thing – that one of the earliest and most useful applications of AI in the industrial space is in enhancing the workforce. Roughly 2/3rds of the executives surveyed said increasing worker efficiency is what excites them most about the use of AI. Nearly half said increased work flexibility was an early benefit they discovered, with roughly the same number of leaders also pointing to benefits like added time for skills development, more opportunities for creative thinking and – perhaps most importantly – increases in job satisfaction and worker safety.
As the Honeywell report puts it, “Given these benefits, AI quickly transitions from a ‘nice-to-have’ to a ‘need-to have.’ A happier, more productive and stable workforce generates revenue, making AI a topline benefit, not just a cost reducer.”
One of the key data points that emerged from the research validates the old saying, “you don’t know until you try.” More than 9 out of 10 industrial executives surveyed said that as they’ve applied AI to their operations, they’ve discovered unexpected new use cases for it. That probably partially explains why 94% told the researchers that their corporate leadership is “all in” on making an investment in AI and believe their organizations will continue or expand their use of AI in the years to come. Indeed, more than half told the researchers that they have already decided to expand the use of AI after their initial implementation of it.
Taken together, this data suggests that the introduction of AI tools to the industrial space is good news for both companies and workers. Honeywell Building Automation President and CEO Billal Hammoud says his customers are certainly seeing it. “As AI orchestrates controls that regulate HVAC, lighting and energy usage, it helps to improve safety, operational, and sustainability outcomes.”
While human looking robots pushing the real thing off the factory floor might be what many workers fear, this research and the real-world experiences of AI executives around the globe, suggest that AI’s most beneficial industrial application is that of a helpful partner. As it always has, the introduction of new technology in the industrial space will change the work experience – but this Honeywell research adds to the growing body of evidence that suggests the change will be for the benefit of everyone.
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