From the factory floor to office tools, artificial intelligence (AI) is being woven into nearly every product and process. Companies are racing to embrace it, and the line between hype and genuine innovation is getting blurrier by the day.
At Automate, a trade show for industrial automation in Detroit this week, there was plenty of real talk about where things are headed. Yes, we’re still human, but it’s clear we’re building a future where intelligent machines are not just tools, they are collaborators.
It’s not fear that’s driving this moment. It’s curiosity. It’s optimism. Maybe even a little awe.
In the latest episode of IndustryWeek’s Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, several Endeavor Business Media editors took a break from the show floor just long enough to reflect on what it means to work hand-in-servo with AI, not just around it:
Mike Bacidore, Editor-in-Chief of Control Design
Rehana Begg, Editor-in-Chief of Machine Design
Sharon Spielman, Technical Editor for Machine Design
Linda Wilson, Editor-in-Chief of Vision Systems Design
For more show coverage, be sure to check out Machine Design’s Automate 2025 content hub.
