From chatbots to 3D designs, generative AI is finding its way in industrial manufacturing

Sept. 5, 2023

Control Design’s Mike Bacidore, Machine Design’s Bob Vavra and IndustryWeek’s Robert Schoenberger discuss whether artificial intelligence is generating more than buzz

Mike Bacidore

Artificial intelligence (AI) is on the tip of everyone’s mind. What is it? Is it taking over the world? How much does AI already know? What is the difference between machine learning and AI? Which industrial technologies are being used to enhance AI? Which ones are benefitting from AI?

Just prior to the Labor Day weekend, I spoke with Machine Design’s Bob Vavra and IndustryWeek’s Robert Schoenberger about a specific subset of artificial intelligence known as generative AI. What differentiates this type of AI is its ability to generate content, such as text, images, video, code or 3D designs, from various inputs using algorithms.

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While the technology isn’t new—MIT’s Joseph Weizenbaum released Eliza, a chatbot that is the first recognized generative AI, almost 60 years ago—many of the industrial applications are.

From the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute projects led by Ohio State University, CapSen Robotics, Yaskawa, USC, Siemens, Apparel Robotics and MassRobotics to Beckhoff’s TwinCAT Chat Client and Emerson’s Revamp, generative AI is generating more than buzz in industrial manufacturing.

About the Author

Mike Bacidore | Editor in Chief

Mike Bacidore is chief editor of Control Design and has been an integral part of the Endeavor Business Media editorial team since 2007. Previously, he was editorial director at Hughes Communications and a portfolio manager of the human resources and labor law areas at Wolters Kluwer. Bacidore holds a BA from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. He is an award-winning columnist, earning multiple regional and national awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors. He may be reached at [email protected]