Ford Rehire Old Engnieers: Automaker Ford has re-hired 350 engineers at the company in three years. He started using AI, but the results were not good. The company has admitted that it made a mistake in understanding the capabilities of AI. Engineers who have returned to work are now training AI as well.
Experienced engineers ignored
- Bloomberg report states that Ford has re-hired 350 of its experienced engineers in the last three years. Apart from old employees, these include experts from supplier companies.
- The report states that Ford had to take this step because AI and automated quality systems did not work as predicted.
- The company has admitted that it over-relied on automation. He ignored the experience of his engineers who had worked for decades. These were the employees who had worked for Ford vehicles for several generations. (ref.)
We mistakenly thought that just by bringing in AI and applying our designing requirements to it, we would get the best quality product. -Charles Poon, Ford’s vice president of vehicle hardware engineering
AI is a good tool but…
- Charles Poon, Ford’s vice-president of vehicle hardware engineering, admitted that the company made a mistake in understanding the potential of AI. The company thought that just by taking AI and adding its own requirements to it, a quality product would be created.
- The company is acknowledging that AI is a good tool but it will only work as well as it is taught, and Ford did not utilize the experience of its engineers at all.
The company is now realizing that it did not take necessary steps to store the experience of its expert engineers. The AI system lacked the experience to detect and correct deficiencies at the very beginning of a vehicle’s manufacturing process.
Respect for ‘white bearded’ people again
The engineers returning to Ford are being called gray beards or experienced engineers with white beards. It is said that due to their arrival, young employees are being driven out. They are training AI tools and detecting quality deficiencies in vehicles even before they are taken out of the factory.
About the authorPrem TripathiPrem Tripathi is Assistant Editor at Times Online. He is leading the Tech-Auto team. He has been in journalism for 15 years covering the fields of technology, gadgets, artificial intelligence and defense tech. Prem has seen India’s smartphone market change from the dominance of Nokia to Samsung and Chinese companies to the growing popularity of Apple. He has seen that era of telecom journalism when 2GB data available on 2G and 3G mobile networks had to be used for the whole month. This is the reason why when readers have to give news about research being done on 5G network or 6G, their experience is clearly reflected in the news of love. He knows how to explain topics like ‘Satellite Internet’ and ‘Direct to Device Communication Technology’ in easy language. It’s been a long time since Prem has been writing gadget reviews. He has done in-depth reviews of everything from early Windows to Android smartphones and iPhones. From laptop-PC to smart TV and wearables have also been thoroughly tested and tested. Prem does detailed interviews of experts from the tech-telecom industry. He has been covering launch events on ground for many years. Covering the India Mobile Congress (IMC) since its first edition (2017), he has gained expertise in understanding the major changes happening in India’s technology industry. In recent years, Prem has strengthened his writings on the topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI). He uses AI tools and tells readers about them. Every major change taking place in the field of AI is explained to the readers in easy language. With the idea of how technology can make people’s lives easier, Prem also provides simple HowTo, Tips & Tricks to the readers of Times. He first tries and verifies any hack himself. He does the same practice with daily tech-gadget news also. By verifying news, cross checking facts, gathering additional inputs, research and adding statistics, he prepares any news in detail for his readers. Prem has great experience in print media and digital media. Before joining Times Online, he was working with the reputed tech-gadget website, Gadgets360 (NDTV Ventures) from November 2021 to January 2025. There he provided detailed coverage on gadgets, tech, AI, defense tech and science and wrote gadget reviews. Prem started his career with Hindustan Hindi in the year 2011. Served in Amar Ujala newspaper in 2013 and Times newspaper in 2017. He has worked in both reporting and desk. Covered ‘Kedarnath Disaster 2013’ for Amar Ujala. His book ‘Hai Gau’ was published by Amar Ujala Foundation. Prem Tripathi completed his Bachelor of Science (Bsc) from Kumaon University, Nainital in 2008. He holds a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Mass Communication from Makhanlal Chaturvedi University, Bhopal.… read more