The rise of the machines...

Automation in the manufacturing world has been around for centuries, from Richard Arkwright inventing the first fully automated spinning mill in 1771 and Oliver Evans developing the first automatic flour mill in 1785 through to fully automated assembly lines we see today in the automotive industry (as an example)

Alongside this automation, industry has seen the integration of continuous improvement to drive step by step improvement within some of these singular, automated processes which has driven a culture shift in collaborative working and a value add mindset.

But how do we maintain this empowered culture now that we are in a world of AI and machine learning?

The widespread adoption of AI and machine learning in the manufacturing space is poised to have a significant impact on the manufacturing industry in various ways, including:

• Optimising supply chains through the prediction of demand, optimising inventory levels and improving overall logistics, ultimately allowing businesses to respond more effectively to changes in demand
• Improving quality control through machine learning algorithms for real time monitoring and analysis of production processes to identify defects and deviations from the norm
• Similarly to quality control, process optimisation can be applied through the identification of patterns and trends in data that may not be apparent to human operators, leading to improvements in operational efficiencies
• Business security through the enhancement of cybersecurity measures, ensuring integrity and security of data within the manufacturing supply chain is not at risk

However alongside this can come challenges such as the need for a skilled workforce, concerns around job displacement, and ethical considerations related to data privacy and security.

So are we introducing risk to our business culture by introducing AI and machine learning?

As a consultant in the change and transformation space, maintaining a positive business culture is always a big challenge, as the introduction of something new can always be daunting when things have always been done in a certain way, but we are now entering a new realm in the face of AI and machine learning being that new kid on the block, and I believe this new kid on the block is here to stay.

So how can we use AI and machine learning to maintain a truly inclusive culture?

Businesses have historically applied strategies to help us adopt and foster change during times of technological improvement such as process automation and doing some of the following things will help foster an empowered culture in the face of this new change we are seeing.

• Communicate and be transparent about the AI adoption plans. The importance of explaining that technology is meant to augment human capabilities, and not replace them entirely will go a long way in ensuring the culture of the workforce remains strong
• Involve employees in inclusive decision making related to the adoption of AI through encouraging feedback and suggestions to ensure the workforce feels valued and engaged in the transformation process
• Emphasise the importance of human centric roles which require creativity, critical thinking, emotional intelligence and other skills that are uniquely human
• Demonstrate leadership and role modelling. Leadership will play a crucial role in setting the tone for organisational culture. By demonstrating a positive attitude towards the transformation, supporting employees and actively participating in the adoption of the change is worth its weight in gold

If you have got this far into this article, you might be thinking "so what?"....

My answer to the "so what?" is simple... AI and machine learning is not going away anytime soon, so we must accept and adopt this new change. As with the introduction of manufacturing automation hundreds of years ago, technology is here to help, not hinder... As humans we must use those uniquely human skills to utilise this change in a way that supports us.

The machines and Skynet are not here to destroy us... hopefully not yet anyway!