8:30 a.m.   Welcome and Introductions

8:45 a.m.   Opening Address: Why AI Will Shape Manufacturing’s Future

• David R. Brousell, Co-Founder, Manufacturing Leadership Council

Opinions about AI range from the apocalyptic to the miraculous. But just about everyone can agree that AI will be a major force in many aspects of manufacturing. As a result, AI will be one of the most important strategic considerations for manufacturing companies, the industry, and the nation in the years ahead.

9:00 a.m.   What Will AI Be Capable of by 2030?

• Dr. Thomas Kurfess, Executive Director, Georgia Tech Manufacturing Research Institute; Professor and HUSCO/Ramirez Distinguished Chair in Fluid Power and Motion Control, Georgia Institute of Technology; and Member, MLC Board of Governors

AI technology is rapidly evolving and will be applied in many operational functions and systems. This session will address AI’s likely functional trajectory in the next 10 years, what jobs and tasks it will be doing, and what the implications are for how manufacturers will run their plants and factories in the future.

9:30 a.m.   Fireside Chat: Perspectives on AI’s Future

• Dr. Jim Davis, Vice Provost, Information Technology, and Chief Academic Technology Officer, UCLA; Member, MLC Board of Governors 
• Dr. Julie Shah, H.N. Slater Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, MIT; Member, MLC Board of Governors 
  

In conversation with: David R. Brousell, Co-Founder, Manufacturing Leadership Council

AI’s likely trajectory in the coming years will provide manufacturers with many opportunities but also a host of implementation and operational challenges. This session will explore what manufacturers need to do now and in the future to optimize their investments in AI.

10:00 a.m.   Panel Discussion: What Do Current AI Use Cases Tell Us About Tomorrow?

Panelists:

• Rose Coluccio, Engineering Director, Corning Environmental Technologies Division, Corning Incorporated
  
• Doug Laney, Innovation Fellow, Data and Analytics, West Monroe
  
• Shamlan Siddiqi, Vice President, Consulting and Digital Transformation Services, NTT DATA

Moderator: Penelope Brown, Senior Content Director, Manufacturing Leadership Council

MLC research shows that roughly two-thirds of manufacturers are either using AI currently or will be deploying it in the near future. This panel will examine some of the current ways that manufacturers are using AI in the quest to improve efficiency, boost production, and eliminate waste. The panel will also discuss how those current successful use cases will inform the next phase of AI deployment.

10:45 a.m.   15-minute Break in Virtual Content

11:00 a.m.   Will AI Enable Autonomous Plants and Factories?

• Dr. Hiroaki Kanokogi, President and CEO, Yokogawa Digital Corporation

In a recent successful pilot, Yokogawa autonomously controlled a chemical plant for 35 consecutive days, including dealing with complex conditions necessary to ensure product quality and other variables. This case study will explain how this success confirmed that reinforcement learning AI, integrated with distributed control systems, can be safely applied in an actual plant.

11:30 a.m.   How Can AI Be Used to Advance Future Sustainability Goals?

• Dr. Rebecca Teeters, Senior Vice President, Chemical Operations, 3M

This session will provide an expert’s view on how AI and Machine Learning technologies will help manufacturing companies optimize their use of resources and materials in the years ahead; monitor and measure environmental impacts and reduction projects, both internally and across their supply chains to hit net zero targets; develop smarter and more sustainable products; and manage the challenges and opportunities of new circular economy ecosystems.

12:00 p.m.   Break in Virtual Content for Lunch

1:15 p.m.   Panel Discussion: What Are AI’s Implications for the Manufacturing Workforce of the Future?

Panelists:

• Gardner Carrick, Vice President, Workforce Solutions, The Manufacturing Institute
• Jacey Heuer, Lead, Data Science and Advanced Analytics, Pella Corporation
  
• Asi Klein, Managing Director, Industrial Products and Organization Transformation, Deloitte Consulting

Moderator: Paul Tate, Co-Founding Executive Editor and Senior Content Director, Manufacturing Leadership Council

This session will explore the evolving collaborative relationship between humans and ever-more intelligent machines, looking at how AI may change how manufacturing work will be done by 2030; what skills will be needed by tomorrow’s workforce; how advanced systems can help address the labor shortage; and how these new technologies present a unique opportunity for manufacturers to enhance future workplace environments by empowering both front line engagement and individual innovation.

2:00 p.m.   Fireside Chat: What Impact Will AI Have on Legacy Control Systems and Enterprise Applications?

• Chirag Rathi, Senior Director, Industry and Solution Strategy, Infor
  
• Bijan Sayyar-Rodsari, Director of Advanced Analytics, Rockwell Automation

In conversation with: Jeff Puma, Content Director, Manufacturing Leadership Council

Artificial intelligence will increasingly power both plant floor control systems as well as enterprise application such as ERP, SCM, PLM, quality systems and more. This session will address the implications of using AI in these systems, including what functions of these systems AI will manage and how it will change how manufacturing workers interact with these systems.

2:30 p.m.   What Are the Ethical Considerations for AI in Manufacturing?

• Eric Yu, Principal, Data Ethics, SAS Institute Inc.

As standards evolve for the responsible development and deployment of AI, there is much debate on what manufacturers will have to address as they accelerate the technology’s use. This session will examine ethical considerations for AI and what manufacturers need to know to ensure safety, transparency, and accountability.

3:00 p.m. 30-minute Break in Virtual Content

3:30 p.m.   Panel Discussion: Should AI and U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Policy Align?

Panelists:

• Robyn Boerstling, Vice President, Infrastructure, Innovation and Human Resources Policy, NAM
• Dr. Jim Davis, Vice Provost, Information Technology, and Chief Academic Technology Officer, UCLA; Member, MLC Board of Governors 
• Dr. Lynne Parker, Associate Vice Chancellor; Director, AI Tennessee Initiative; University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Moderator: David R. Brousell, Co-Founder, Manufacturing Leadership Council

A global competition is underway to achieve economic leadership through the development and application of AI. This session will explore how the cooperative efforts on AI by academia, industry, and organizations such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Science and Technology will play out in the years ahead.

4:15 p.m.   Manufacturing in 2030: Let’s Talk About AI Virtual Content Concludes