EAST LANSING, MI — The Apple Manufacturing Academy recently welcomed hundreds of academics and industry leaders to its inaugural Spring Forum here. The event was hosted by Michigan State University (MSU) and included corporate participation. Lightguide, Magna, McKinsey, Medtronic. Topics ranged from the role of physical AI on the factory floor to overcoming the challenges of implementing AI technology at scale.
“We created Michigan and the Apple Manufacturing Academy because we wanted to bring advanced manufacturing technology to American manufacturers,” said Priya Balasubramaniam, Apple Inc. vice president of product operations. “Our goal was to create a real-world application that helps companies increase productivity and efficiency.”
The forum featured a fireside conversation between Balasubramaniam and Michigan President Kevin Guskiewicz. The conversation touched on how artificial intelligence is transforming everyday manufacturing operations and the skills the next generation of workers will need to thrive in an AI-powered economy.
Launched last year as part of Apple’s $600 billion commitment to the U.S., the Apple Manufacturing Academy is a free program that pairs Apple engineers and MSU experts with small and medium-sized businesses to help them implement AI and smart manufacturing technologies. It is the only manufacturing academy in North America and is open to companies from across the country.
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