The AI Revolution Rethinking Automation

Manufacturing is at a turning point. Talent is scarce and experience is even harder to find. As costs rise and businesses struggle to keep up, we are left asking the big question: how do we scale without burning out?

On the latest episode of Lights Out Technology and Automation, I had the opportunity to join the team at MakingChips to discuss exactly that. We talked about the AI revolution in manufacturing and how automation is no longer just about robots doing repetitive tasks. It is about rethinking the connection between people machines and data so shops can run more efficiently while machinists stay in control.

One of the biggest misconceptions about AI driven automation is that it is about replacing people. That could not be further from the truth. AI is here to support machinists not replace them. It is about making it easier to get parts programmed faster, reducing bottlenecks, and ensuring that machines keep running even when the lights are out.

We also discussed how automation needs to be intuitive. In my early days of machining, simple design choices like flip out handwheels made a huge difference in how accessible CNC technology was. Today we need to take that same mindset and apply it to AI and automation. The future of manufacturing is not just about adding more sensors and dashboards. It is about seamlessly integrating automation so that it feels natural to the people using it.

If you are thinking about how to make your shop more efficient or how AI can help you stay competitive, I encourage you to listen to this episode. We dive deep into practical ways AI can help machinists take control of automation rather than the other way around.

🎧 Listen now: Lights Out The AI Revolution with Al Whatmough