Ford Motor Company has rehired more than 300 veteran quality inspectors after discovering that artificial intelligence tools deployed across its manufacturing plants could not match the skills and experience of human workers, according to a recent report by Bloomberg.
AI Cameras Fall Short
The US automaker had introduced AI across parts of its operations, including 900 AI-powered cameras designed to spot defects and supply disruptions. However, the technology failed to deliver the expected results, leading to the decision to bring back experienced engineers.
Charles Poon, Ford’s vice president of vehicle hardware engineering, told reporters that the company had mistakenly assumed the technology alone would ensure high-quality outcomes. “Artificial intelligence is a fantastic tool, but it’s only as good as the information you use to train it,” Poon said, as per the report. He added, “Over prior years, we didn’t pay as much attention as we should have to the experience of our most knowledgeable engineers who have been with us through many product cycles.”
Judgement and Experience Key
Poon noted that the automated systems lacked the judgement that only experienced technicians develop over decades. The returning engineers, many of whom had previously left the company, have been tasked with retraining Ford’s AI tools and mentoring younger staff. “We recognised that for us to enhance some of our automation and machine learning and artificial intelligence tools, we needed to ensure that they were trained by the most experienced individuals,” he added.
