Ford has brought back more than 300 retired veteran engineers known affectionately as the “graybeards” after discovering that artificial intelligence simply couldn’t match their real-world skills and wisdom.
The American automaker had increasingly relied on artificial intelligence for engineering tasks, manufacturing processes and quality control in recent years, but the results fell short.
Ford admitted that overreliance on automated systems created problems that only experienced human experts could adequately fix.
These seasoned engineers, some fresh out of retirement, are now playing a crucial role as they mentor younger colleagues, detect potential failure points long before parts reach the factory, troubleshoot quality issues in real time, and even reprogram AI tools to work more effectively.
Charles Poon, vice president of vehicle hardware engineering at Ford, put it perfectly: “Artificial intelligence is a fantastic tool, but it is only as good as the data used to train it.” He admitted that the company had mistakenly believed that incorporating design requirements into AI would automatically provide the highest quality products.
Kumar Galhotra, Ford’s chief operating officer, added that while the company is implementing AI across its operations, it had relied too much on automated quality systems without getting the desired results.
The decision to rehire human talent appears to be paying off, as Ford has climbed back to the top of JD Power’s Initial Quality Study as the highest-rated conventional automaker in the U.S., a position it last held 15 years ago.
