AI Skills for the Shop Floor

Part of the MI Solution Series

Join Us for an Engaging, 60-Minute Virtual Solution Series 

AI is already part of everyday manufacturing, from inspection cameras to predictive maintenance alerts. Frontline workers who understand how these tools work, and when to question them, are what turn AI adoption into real results on the plant floor. 

In this webinar, Pooja Tripathi, Assistant Vice President of Workforce Innovation at the MI, takes attendees inside the Manufacturing Institute’s free AI Skills for Manufacturing Training Suite, including the AI Fundamentals+ for Manufacturing coursework. In Fundamentals+ attendees will learn how to build on the knowledge gained in AI Fundamentals for Manufacturing. This coursework will take workers from basic AI awareness to understanding how AI systems sense what is happening on the shop floor, analyze that information, and recommend or take action, all while emphasizing how a worker’s own experience keeps those systems accurate and safe. 

Pooja will be joined by two leaders putting this work into practice. Dakota Wayne, Senior Operations Manager, Digital Factory, at Rheem Manufacturing Company, will share how Rheem is using AI to upskill its frontline workforce. Audrey Webb, Regional Workforce Director and Director of Work-Based Learning Programs, Alabama Community College System, who will discuss the system’s plan to train the state’s future manufacturing workforce 

• How AI systems process information, identify patterns and generate recommendations 

• How sensors, cameras and computer vision support quality control, predictive maintenance and safety monitoring 

• What agentic AI is and how it performs multi-step tasks under human supervision 

• Why hands-on experience and technical skills matter more as AI becomes part of daily operations 

What Attendees Will Gain 

• A clear picture of what each course in AI Fundamentals+ covers and the credential learners earn 

• Insight into how frontline supervisors can lead AI adoption and reduce resistance on their teams 

• Steps for giving employees, students or member companies access to the training at no cost