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Ford hires human engineers after AI layoffs
Joe Tavares, Chief Innovation Officer with Resolute Building Intelligence, joins us to discuss AI as we’re learning Ford Motor Company has hired several hundred human engineers after AI-related layoffs.
Ford Motor Company has hired several human engineers to reportedly address the shortcomings of artificial intelligence.
Ford AI engineering challenges
Big picture view:
A Ford executive has reportedly spoken out about the lessons the company has learned about the ability of AI to replace human knowledge.
What they're saying:
"Mistakenly, we thought that by just introducing artificial intelligence and adjusting the design requirements that we had, that that would produce a high-quality product," said Charles Poon, VP of vehicle hardware engineering, said in a press briefing, according to The Verge.
Additionally, Bloomberg reported Poon saying on a press call that artificial intelligence is a "fantastic tool," but only as good as the information you use to train it.
"Over prior years, we didn't pay as much attention as we should have to the experience of our most knowledgeable engineers that have been with us through many product cycles," Bloomberg reported him saying. "Mistakenly, we thought that by just introducing artificial intelligence and ingesting the design requirements that we had, that would produce a high quality product."
By the numbers:
Ford Motor Company said it has hired roughly 300 veteran engineers who carry the hard-earned wisdom of decades of design.
"Free from daily production schedules, these engineers now act as internal auditors, running mandatory weekly design reviews to hunt for and eliminate potential failure points before blueprints ever reach the factory floor," Ford said.
Ford JD Power IQS
FILE - The new Ford F-150 truck goes through the assembly line at the Ford Dearborn Plant on April 11, 2024, in Dearborn, Michigan. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/ Getty Images)
Meanwhile:
The hiring push helped Ford top the JD Power 2026 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS) for the first time since 2010 amid improvements in the quality of its new vehicles, FOX Business reported.
JD Power's 2026 IQS not only placed Ford at the top of the list for the first time in 16 years, but it also ranked the Ford F-150, Ford Mustang and Ford Super Duty at the top of their respective segments for the second straight year.
Additionally, the Ford Escape, Ford Explorer, Ford Expedition and Ford Maverick also ranked among the top three in their segments – which meant that seven of the company's top 10 models ranked in the top three of their categories.
Ford said reaching best-in-class quality required "a significant talent refresh."
The Source: Information in this article was taken from remarks made by Ford executives and given to The Verge and Bloomberg. Background information was taken from Ford Motor Company and FOX Business.