Ford rehired veteran engineers after AI fell short on quality: Report

The automaker brought back experienced engineers after finding that AI alone could not deliver the expected improvements in vehicle quality, according to a Bloomberg report

Ford Motor has rehired, hired, or promoted around 350 experienced engineers over the past three years after artificial intelligence (AI) failed to deliver the quality improvements the company had expected, according to a Bloomberg report.

 

The engineers, many of whom had previously worked at Ford, were brought in to strengthen quality control and mentor younger employees. Internally referred to as "grey beard" engineers, they are also helping refine the company's AI-powered quality systems.

 

The move helped the carmaker top the J D Power Initial Quality Survey, reportedly the first time it has achieved that milestone in 16 years.

 

 

“Artificial intelligence is a fantastic tool, but it’s only as good as the information you use to train it,” Charles Poon, Ford’s vice president of vehicle hardware engineering, told Bloomberg.

 

The company had initially relied on AI and automation to identify manufacturing defects and improve vehicle quality, which it later found could not replace the experience of Ford’s most knowledgeable engineers working with it through many product cycles, according to Poon.

 

According to Kumar Galhotra, chief operating officer, those engineers were “at the heart” of Ford’s efforts to turn around quality problems. They now run mandatory meetings that rigorously troubleshoot quality problems, and they have reprogrammed AI tools to head off glitches before they happen.

 

“We had been relying more and more on automated quality systems” and not getting the desired results, Galhotra said. “We brought back technical specialists”, and “they hunt for failure points before a part ever reaches the plant floor.”

 

Ford’s Chief Executive Officer Jim Farley told Bloomberg TV that the company saw warranty coverages and recall costs coming down. “These are all contributing to literally hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars of a tailwind for Ford on cost,” he added.

 

The automaker continues to have quality issues with its older vehicles and remains the most recalled automaker in the US, according to The Independent.

 

The automaker is reportedly aiming to cut $1 billion in costs this year.