Adaptiv AI

Manufacturing employment in the U.S. continues to decline - 78,000 jobs lost over the past year alone. The easy narrative is that AI and automation are to blame. But as this article by Sakshi Udavant points out, the reality is far more complex. Yes, automation is reshaping the factory floor. But it’s not erasing people - it’s changing what work looks like. The roles disappearing aren’t vanishing into thin air; they’re evolving into new ones that demand fluency in robotics, systems integration, and data-driven decision-making. The challenge? The pace of that evolution. Many manufacturers, especially small and mid-sized firms, simply don’t have the resources to reskill their workforce or invest in large-scale automation at the same speed as industry leaders. That’s the real tension we’re facing - a technology gap becoming a talent gap. If history is any guide, we’ve been here before. Agriculture mechanized. Manufacturing industrialized. Each wave displaced some jobs and created others, but only when the right training and infrastructure were in place to support the transition. So the question isn’t whether AI will replace people. It’s how we’ll prepare people to partner with AI. How do we build systems that preserve institutional knowledge while amplifying human capability? How do we make manufacturing careers more technical, data-literate, and future-ready - without losing the hands-on expertise that built the industry in the first place? These are the conversations that matter most right now. Because automation without adaptation doesn’t build competitiveness - it builds fragility. https://lnkd.in/gwqQ8i-5 #AI #AdvancedManufacturing #WorkforceDevelopment #IndustrialAI #Automation #ManufacturingTransformation

Excited to be speaking at ICAM25 today in Las Vegas - one of the premier gatherings shaping the future of advanced manufacturing. As global competition intensifies and technology continues to evolve, the conversations happening here are critical - not just for innovation, but for how we build, secure, and sustain America’s industrial base. Looking forward to connecting with leaders across defense, academia, and industry as we explore how intelligent manufacturing is transforming readiness, efficiency, and resilience. If you’re here at #ICAM2025, I’d love to connect. #AdvancedManufacturing #ICAM2025 #AI #IndustrialInnovation #ManufacturingLeadership

ICAM 2025 is less than a week away, and I’m looking forward to joining leaders from across industry, government, and academia to discuss the future of advanced manufacturing. This conference has always been a powerful forum for collaboration and innovation, and I’m excited to be part of the conversation this year. Will you be in Las Vegas for ICAM? Let me know in the comments - I’d love to connect while there. #ICAM2025 #AdvancedManufacturing #Collaboration #Innovation

I thought this article from the World Economic Forum on Physical AI in manufacturing was especially insightful. For years, industrial robots were limited to rule-based, repetitive tasks. Now, as the WEF points out, we're entering a phase where robots can perceive, adapt, and respond in real time. That's a huge leap - not just for productivity, but for flexibility and resilience on the factory floor. It raises some big questions for all of us in manufacturing: 1. If intelligent robotics can handle more variation, where should human skill be focused? 2. How do we prepare our workforce to step into roles like "robot technician" or "AI systems trainer"? 3. Are we embedding these tools into long-term strategies, or just testing them at the margins? What I found most compelling were the real-world examples: Amazon cutting deployment times by 40%, Foxconn improving cycle times by 20-30%. These aren't just efficiency gains - they're proof that intelligent robotics can create new, higher-value jobs while addressing today's labor shortages. At the end of the day, Physical AI isn't about replacing people. It's about enabling people to do more meaningful work, supported by technology that handles the repetitive and the routine. https://lnkd.in/gZTfJtj7

Billions are pouring into U.S. manufacturing. Apple, GE Appliances, John Deere, J&J, AbbVie-each announcing massive new investments. The reshoring wave isn't a talking point anymore-it's happening. But here's the challenge: factories can't run without people. The U.S. had more than 415,000 open manufacturing jobs in June. By 2033, nearly 3.8 million new workers will be needed-and almost half of those roles could go unfilled. So the big question is: what good is new capacity if we can't staff it? We're facing not just a shortage in headcount, but also in skills. Many of the new roles require expertise in robotics, data, and AI. Are we training people fast enough? Are we changing the perception of manufacturing so the next generation sees it as a career of choice-not a last resort? Immigration slowdowns add another wrinkle. With immigrants making up ~20% of the manufacturing workforce, what happens if that pipeline continues to shrink? Some argue automation is the silver bullet. But full automation isn't realistic-not economically, not technically. Instead, the future is hybrid. What if we let technology handle repetitive tasks while empowering people to focus on dexterity, judgment, and problem-solving? That shift could not only boost productivity but also retention. Nobody wants to spend a career doing repetitive busywork. People want impact. How do we redesign factories to reflect that? The real differentiator won't be who spends the most money-it will be who best aligns capital + technology + people. The companies that free human creativity, invest in training, and integrate AI to make jobs smarter (not smaller) will win. Reshoring is the chance of a generation. But are we building factories that people want to work in? Are we equipping them with the tools, training, and trust to thrive? That's the model of U.S. manufacturing that can last. And the time to build it is now. Full article: https://lnkd.in/gGBJg3Kc #Manufacturing #Reshoring #FutureOfWork #IndustrialAI #SmartManufacturing

Manufacturing has always advanced through moments where technology captures knowledge and spreads it further. From stone tools to steam engines to CNC machining, progress has often been about taking expertise that once lived with a few and scaling it to many. This is why I found Allie Garfinkle’s recent article on Squint so compelling. Their approach - using AI and AR to capture the tacit knowledge of experienced operators and translate it into real-time guidance - hits on one of the most overlooked challenges in our industry: knowledge transfer. For decades, factories have depended on binders, tribal memory, and lengthy apprenticeships to pass along critical know-how. But what happens when that expertise retires, relocates, or is simply stretched too thin? AI tools that can observe, document, and instantly train the next person in line have the potential to transform how resilient, safe, and productive our industrial base can be. It also reframes the conversation around “AI and jobs.” Too often, the narrative assumes replacement. But as Allie highlights, technologies like this are about augmentation - about giving today’s workforce superpowers by capturing the wisdom of those who came before. What other areas of industrial work do you think are most in need of this kind of “knowledge capture”? Would love to hear your thoughts. Term Sheet with Allie Garfinkle: https://lnkd.in/gierY8W2 #Manufacturing #IndustrialAI #FutureOfWork #KnowledgeTransfer