Experts gathered for a breakout session on AI and automation in manufacturing last week at the Made in NJ Manufacturing Day to answer one pressing question: “How can we make a good case for AI in manufacturing?”
It’s a fair question — one that leaders in every sector are debating.
Withum Principal Andrea Mondello offered a grounded argument that matched the analysis: if AI isn’t needed for a task, there’s no need to introduce it.
“Don’t go for a moonshot if a mop bucket will work,” she said.
That’s not to say Mondello is against using artificial intelligence. She just wants AI to serve a purpose.
“AI is magic, but there’s a lot of magic dust in the air, and sometimes, it depends on where you are in your journey and how mature your organization is,” she said.
Mondello said she noticed that many companies look at what AI has been able to do for others and try to utilize those tools instead of looking at the current problems facing their businesses.
AI can provide solutions in a timely manner, but they may not always be the solutions a company needs.
“[Employees] are going to say ‘Wow, it saves me so much time.’ And you, as the business owner or finance person, are going to look at the bottom line and say, ‘Yeah, but our numbers are not improved,’” Mondello said.
Nicol Nicola, director of economic research at the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development, detailed the challenge during a keynote address earlier in the event.
Nicola told the main room crowd of more than 1,000 at iPlay America in Freehold that AI adoption in New Jersey manufacturing has been slower than expected. About 8% of the state’s manufacturing job postings are AI-related this year, up from less than 3% in 2018 — and manufacturers’ actual use of AI is running well below what they had anticipated.
The panel gave practical analysis.
DynaimixAI’s Chris Carr split AI into two categories: substitutionary and transformational.
“Imagine substitutionary AI is the idea that you’re doing the same things you were doing before, but you’re doing them bigger, stronger, and faster,” he said. “Transformational is the idea that you are going to be able to work in a very different way but unlock things in your company that were never possible before.”
Unionwear President Mitch Cahn argued for AI’s efficiency, making workers’ jobs easier. He answered with an anecdote:
“We downloaded a list of 5,000 inquiries on our website over the last four years, fed them into Claude and said, ‘What are our 500 most common questions?’ It came right back with my 500 most common questions.”
Cahn went on to describe how his team spent five more hours going through the list and putting the questions into Claude. They came away with a transcript to make an FAQ page on their website.
There were a lot of different perspectives.
Brian Choi Soo Standen, the Director of Innovation and Partnerships at NJ AI Hub, speculated on the long-term impact of fast tech innovations.
Advent Design Owner Bill Chesterton approached AI as a tool, just like the ones helping his company put products together.
The only consensus: No one knew for certain what the future of AI in manufacturing looks like.
The panel conversation kept circling back to the same key point: without a specific purpose in mind, AI can save time but can’t improve a company’s results.
