Advanced Manufacturing Barcelona – What are you going to tell us in your talk “AI applied to industry; Case studies, challenges and vision of the future” at Advanced Manufacturing Barcelona?

Laia Garriga – The automation of industrial processes, the improvement of workforce skills and the development of new products are the main areas in which the use of Artificial Intelligence applied in Industry 4.0 will benefit industry in its digital transformation process.

Some advantages:

• Detecting problems in production before they become real problems and being able to correct them proactively.
• Optimise production processes to reduce downtime and improve the quality of the final product.
• Identify areas where energy consumption or material usage can be reduced, which can lead to a significant reduction in production costs.
• Improve production planning, which can reduce costs associated with over- or under-production.

Challenges:

• Lack of quality data.
• Lack of training
• Security
• The ethics of AI

And finally, a presentation of case studies.

AMB – What will the application of Artificial Intelligence in the industrial sector mean?

Laia Garriga – Artificial intelligence (AI) is profoundly transforming the industrial sector, opening up unprecedented and unimaginable scenarios until a few years ago. AI, thanks to its ability to process huge volumes of data and learn from mistakes, is changing the way companies manage their activities and production processes.

Among the main benefits offered by AI are production optimisation, quality improvement, safety, improved operations and resource planning.

Artificial intelligence represents an extraordinary opportunity for companies seeking to improve their efficiency and productivity, but the incorporation of these tools, although they will drive the future of our industries, it is essential that they carry out a comprehensive strategy that first involves the digitisation of all the company’s systems and is accompanied by a real knowledge of these technologies.

AMB – Given the great momentum that AI is experiencing in recent months, what are the advances that the industry can experience thanks to its implementation?

Laia Garriga – The most important thing is that industries must be able to establish a good strategic plan for digitisation and adoption of AI technologies but knowing that technologies are tools that allow us to achieve certain objectives, but it is people and organisations that decide where they want to go, what their needs are or what they must do to be more competitive in the market, this remains the key to the success of any company beyond technology.

AMB – There is a fear that AI will replace human labour, to what extent can this be a real threat in the industry?

Laia Garriga – AI is obviously revolutionising many sectors, but one would think that if it takes over the more mechanical things, it will leave room for women and men to do the creative things or to focus on the purely human things, such as caring for people.

In companies, soft skills such as creativity, collaboration, teamwork, active listening and empathetic communication will become more important. And we will soon see a different employment landscape than today.

Economies already need workers whose core business is AI: researchers, experts in data analysis, consultants, software engineers, robot developers for sales… It is clear that, as with any industrial revolution, we must adapt to change and this also affects education, training and human resource management.

AMB – What value do you think events like Advanced Manufacturing Barcelona have?

Laia Garriga – The main value is the opportunity it offers the manufacturing industry to learn about the technological advances that are taking place throughout the ecosystem.

Digital transformation, sustainability, energy saving, among others, are the main drivers of change in our industry, being able to learn first-hand how the industry is addressing these challenges is the main value of Advanced Manufacturing Barcelona.