Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing manufacturing by automating complex tasks, reducing errors and improving maintenance planning.

It's also empowering workers regardless of their mental or physical disability. AI is providing more accurate demand forecasting and less material waste.

As we continue to shape the fourth industrial revolution, otherwise known as Industry 4.0, I believe we have an unbelievable story to explore with our workforce. Workforce development is closely tied to digital transformation, an undisputed requirement for a global supply chain, competitive edge, capacity building, time savings, cost containment, customer experience and capitalizing on the steep growth of emerging markets over the next decade.

According to an article in Assembly Magazine, author Zoe Leduc writes: “The most significant way a company can optimize the workforce is to build on their talent with training and skill development.”

This means all members of our workforce. The pandemic has become a wake-up call for digital transformation to create positive change. It is time to ready ourselves for the future and help our workforce thrive. But how? 

For manufacturers, the future is less about hiring data scientists and programmers and more about creating an environment to up-skill a workforce capable of managing the new demands of work while leveraging the power of technology to support efficiency, open up more space for innovation and fuel growth.  

When we align around a common purpose, we become invincible. As manufacturers, technology providers like Microsoft, supply chain partners and customers come together to collaborate in solving problems, we become a force for positivity and real solutions. 

What if every person in manufacturing could learn one new skill in the next six to 12 months? That would be an enduring story for the art of possible.  

Here is my blog “Manufacturing becomes more inclusive as AI enables hiring of workers with disabilities” published by Microsoft.  Learn how Clover Imaging Group used Microsoft’s Azure technology to empower warehousing employees with cognitive disabilities through conversational AI and a mixed-reality platform that acts as a “virtual guide . . . to performing a job and a series of tasks that they might not otherwise be able to complete on their own,” according to a news story in business journal “Wisconsin Inno.”  

Here is the first episode of CXO Spice on Sustainable AI. I hosted Walid Ali, Cloud Data & AI Multi-Cloud Chief Strategist at Microsoft. CXO Spice has come a long way since then.  Thank you everyone for your continuous support.