MI Kicks off AI Skills for Manufacturing Roadshow with Stop in Alabama 

By MI NewsroomSeptember 30, 2026

The Manufacturing Institute launched the first courses of its AI Skills for Manufacturing Training Suite this week. To celebrate the launch and accelerate adoption, the MI kicked off its roadshow—“Training for the Future”—making stops with manufacturers and community college partners across the country. 

The first stop: The roadshow began in Alabama, where MI President Carolyn Lee and Alabama Community College System Deputy Chancellor of Workforce & Economic Development and Executive Director for the Alabama Training Network Keith Phillips formally signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding to offer the training across all ACCS community colleges.   

  • The event brought together ACCS leaders, economic development and workforce stakeholders, students and leading Alabama manufacturers, including Jay Humphreys, General Manager of Manufacturing at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Inc.  
  • Following the signing, the leaders and other guests toured Calhoun Community College’s Rocket City FAME chapter facility, guided by current FAME students.  
  • Later, a group of attendees visited Polaris’s Madison, AL, plant alongside U.S. Representative Dale Strong (AL-5), where they saw current and former FAME students in action. 

Why it matters: AI is changing how work gets done across the manufacturing floor, from how workers solve problems to how manufacturers improve processes and make decisions. To use these technologies effectively, workers need a fundamental understanding of AI and how it applies to their jobs. 

  • According to the Manufacturing Leadership Council (MLC), the digital transformation arm of the NAM, more than 50% of manufacturers already deploy AI in their operations. However, a study by the MI and PwC found that 82% say their employees lack the skills to use AI tools effectively. 
  • Fewer than 20% of manufacturers currently offer any formal AI training, according to the MLC. 

As AI becomes part of the production floor, workers will need to learn how to work with these technologies. Manufacturers do not need every employee to become an AI expert, but they do need workers who understand where AI can add value, how to use it responsibly and how to apply it effectively. 

It starts with workforce: “With new technologies transforming how manufacturers design, build, and create, we need to ensure that America remains the global leader in modern manufacturing. And that starts with investing in our workforce,” wrote MI President Carolyn Lee and Alabama Community College System Chancellor Jimmy Baker in an op-ed. 

  • Nearly 270,000 Alabamans work in manufacturing—a sector that generates more than $40 billion in annual economic output and represents nearly one-fifth of the state’s GDP, they noted. 

The tour continues: Over the coming weeks, the roadshow will stop in Winston Salem, NC, in partnership with Smurfit Westrock, and New Braunfels, TX, in partnership with Texas State Technical College. 

  • On these stops, the MI will host facility tours of partner companies and organizations, meeting with current and former FAME students, elected officials and more, to bring attention to the work underway by companies and partners in Training the Future. 

Get started: The first part of the training, AI Fundamentals for Manufacturing, is available now, free and online, to current workers, students and anyone building manufacturing-ready skills.  

  • Visit the MI website to learn more and sign up to get updates on the MI’s AI Skills Initiative.