So far, the impact of artificial intelligence has been in the office, but Ford CEO Jim Farley says the service bay has also been coming.
Farley said Tuesday that he expected the disruption to blue-collar jobs to be a mixture of “negative and positive,” and ultimately the company will depend on how it manages its shifts.
One example: “If you're repairing your super duty,” he said, referring to one of Ford's pro-grade pickup trucks, “Augmented reality AI is a game changer. Ask my team. You need to use AI to make repairs to them easier.”
Farley said the role of a diesel engineer can pay more than $100,000 a year and requires at least five years of training.
Farley's comments came to the automakers convened a summit for Detroit CEOs to address the widespread labor shortage in skilled US transactions. The Automotive Trade Group Tech Force estimates that the US needs more than 100,000 new technicians annually to meet new demand and replace workers leaving the industry.
Farley also said automation and AI are likely to wipe out jobs in all sectors of the economy, reflecting comments from Walmart CEO Doug McMillon last week.
“It's very clear that AI will literally change every job,” McMillon said at the company's workforce event held at Walmart's headquarters in Arkansas, the Wall Street Journal reported.
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McMillon and other Walmart executives have repeatedly said that automation allows companies to increase sales more quickly with relatively flat counts.
Farley also said tech companies have the opportunity to bridge the blue-collar gap.
“If you look at AI solutions pitched to Ford, they're all about white-collar efficiency,” he said. “There are few AI companies who come to us and say, 'We want to repair your efficiency and dramatically help factory workers.' ”
Most of the technology being implemented is intended to eliminate employment, he said. “Now, I'm not putting a big focus on the technology sector, the essential economy, and AI as a tool.”
