Manufacturing

ChatGPT is pitching in on the assembly line. Siemens and Microsoft launched a joint pilot program of a GPT-powered model for controlling manufacturing machinery. German automotive parts manufacturer Schaeffler is testing the system in its factories, as is Siemens itself. 

Neural networks are predicting how metal will deform under pressure to pilot robots through the tricky process of fabricating aircraft. Machina Labs crafts metal using AI-guided robotic arms.

In a new report, business leaders share their machine-learning successes and struggles. Many businesses plan to increase their use of machine learning, but their efforts so far don’t always yield the results they seek.

Factories are using AI to warn them when equipment is reaching the breaking point. Services that monitor machinery to predict imminent failure and provide guidance on necessary upkeep are booming, The Wall Street Journal reported.

China’s investment in AI business, infrastructure, and research could pay off big over the next decade.

AI startups are creating high value across a wide variety of industries. CB Insights, which tracks tech startups, published the latest edition of the AI 100, its annual list of 100 notable AI startups.

A wearable device may help warehouse workers avoid injuries. Modjoul, maker of a system that evaluates risks to people engaged in physical labor, received an undisclosed sum from Amazon as part of a $1 billion investment in technologies that might enhance the retailer giant’s operations.

The hardware that runs the latest AI systems faces rising uncertainty as models grow larger and more computationally intensive. The U.S. Commerce Department sounded an alarm over bottlenecks in the availability of semiconductor chips.

Robots are tremendously useful machines, and I would like to see them applied to every task where they can do some good. Yet we don’t have enough programmers for all this hardware and all these tasks.

Startups are predicting how climate change will affect global commerce. Companies that specialize in climate analytics are training neural networks to help businesses manage risks posed by a warming globe,

A computer vision model, continually trained and automatically updated, can boost quality control in factories. Landing AI, a machine learning platform company led by Andrew Ng, helped a maker of compressors for refrigeration check them for leaks.

A robot inspector is looking over the shoulders of robot welders. Farm equipment maker John Deere described a computer vision system that spots defective joints, helping to ensure that its heavy machinery leaves the production line ready to roll.

U.S. lawmakers authorized a slew of national programs that promote artificial intelligence research, development, and deployment, and support efforts to make sure the results are ethical and trustworthy.

A mechanical lab assistant could accelerate chemistry research.What’s new: Researchers at the University of Liverpool trained a mobile robot arm to navigate a lab, operate equipment, handle samples, and obtain results far faster than a human scientist.

Computer vision has been learning how to spot manufacturing flaws. The pandemic is accelerating that education. Companies like Instrumental and Elementary are making AI-powered cameras that automate the spotting of damaged or badly assembled products on factory assembly lines.