THE Ford Motor Company has rehired more than 300 veteran quality inspectors and engineers to reverse manufacturing shortfalls after finding that its automated artificial intelligence systems could not replicate human experience.
The decision represents a change for the automaker, which had previously integrated automation across its manufacturing operations in an attempt to reduce production costs and maximise factory efficiency.
During an investor briefing during Ford’s quarter earnings call in October 2025, Ford’s Chief Operating Officer, Kumar Galhotra, stated that the firm was “deploying AI across the entire industrial system.” The strategy involved installing 900 automated cameras across various plants to detect assembly flaws at the source and minimise supply chain disruptions.
However, the technology failed to live up to internal expectations. Charles Poon, Ford’s Vice President of Vehicle Hardware Engineering, stated that the company overestimated the tech’s standalone capabilities.
“Mistakenly, we thought that by just introducing artificial intelligence and ingesting the design requirements that we had, that would produce a high-quality product,” Poon admitted.
He noted that the automated tools lacked the practical training and nuance of experienced staff, adding that “artificial intelligence is a fantastic tool, but it’s only as good as the information you use to train it.”
According to reports, many of Ford’s most knowledgeable engineers had left the company before their technical insights could be incorporated into the machine learning models.
The returning specialists are now tasked with identifying potential quality issues before vehicles enter production, mentoring younger factory employees, and calibrating the automated systems.
This pivot to human oversight coincides with Ford securing the number one spot among mainstream US automakers in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, a ranking the company has not held since 2010.
In an official statement addressing the quality milestone, the company noted that achieving best-in-class quality required a significant talent refresh. This initiative involved restructuring senior leadership across its engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain divisions, alongside hiring the 300 veteran engineers who hold decades of hands-on design experience.
Zainab Abdulrasaq ia a reporter and a fact-checker with The ICIR. She believes that accountable citizenship starts with an accountable government, which is why she highlights injustice and everyday struggles through her reporting, one story at a time. She adores reading and can be reached via zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org and @blackbookishgirl on Instagram/Medium