How could AI and automation tackle the UK's collapse in car manufacturing?

The U.K. automotive industry has been a pinnacle of excellence over the last century. However, during the last few decades, sectoral shifts and an evolving competitive landscape have adversely affected the industry, with the pandemic further aggravating these challenges by throwing the demand-supply equilibrium into disarray. The recent and historic fall in car manufacturing in July – which saw production fall to its lowest level since 1956 - is a combination of factors. In an industry as resource intensive as car manufacturing, the success of every manufacturer hinges on how well they navigate both local and global market challenges, such as staffing and material shortages. On one hand, the'pingdemic' has meant that carmakers have had to deal with unexpected staff shortages at a local level. More globally, the rising prominence of semiconductors in today's tech-powered products have meant that if manufacturers can't cope with an ongoing microchip shortage, production often comes to a grinding halt.