Smart Industry and sponsor ServiceNow hosted a Aug. 15 webinar, as part of their Digital Transformation Academy, and discussion among three distinguished experts quickly turned to AI and equally so to the backbone of AI utilization in manufacturing and most digital transformations—data, its quality, and its accessibility in any manufacturing operation.
See also: A guide to inserting AI into your workflow
The program took inspiration from author and "digital optimist" Nicholas Negroponte and his 1995 bestseller, “Being Digital,” which turned out to quite accurately and interestingly forecast the advancement and reach of technology into every corner, including industry.
Podcast: Getting started with digital transformation
And guest experts Heath Stephens, Digitalization Leader at Hargrove Controls & Automation, a member of the Control System Integrators Association; Jamal Syed, President & CEO at HEXstream; and Craig Zehrung, Director of Laboratory Instruction at Purdue University, took the conversation to practical areas for manufacturers.
AI and “big data” were unavoidable for all three, but they took the discussion into new areas and cautioned that AI isn’t for every widget maker but that if your manufacturing company goes there, first do a thorough assessment of your data quality and accessibility.
A replay of the webinar can be viewed after first completing a short registration form. Questions that were posed during the program but not answered by Stephens, Syed, Zehrung or moderator Scott Achelpohl will be answered via email.
The next Smart Industry webinar, Next Year’s AI: The Outlook for Digitally Transforming Manufacturing in 2025, is scheduled for Nov. 14.
See also: Episode 2 of (R)Evolutionizing Manufacturing: Data is everything
