How AI and machine learning are reshaping the manufacturing sector

Jan. 12, 2018 - The world is rapidly moving toward Industry 4.0 or the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning based systems are not only changing the ways we interact with information and computers but also revolutionizing the manufacturing sector. According to a new AI report from Infosys, in the manufacturing and high tech sector specifically, use of machine learning is higher (79 per cent) as is the institutionalization of enterprise knowledge using AI (66 per cent) and cognitive AI-led processes/tasks (60 per cent). Most companies want to automate manufacturing to increase productivity (66 per cent), minimize manual errors (61 per cent), reduce costs (59 per cent) and refocus people's efforts on non-repetitive tasks that benefit from human intervention (50 per cent). The increasing demand for customized products at reasonable rates is the principal driving force behind the need to use various aspects of AI and machine learning in the manufacturing process. Here is how these disruptive technologies are affecting manufacturing now and in coming years.