Workforce in Focus

Upcoming Findings from PwC and the MI: Frontline leaders at the center of AI adoption and employee experience

By MI NewsroomNovember 14, 2025
Manufacturing worker inspecting a long white panel in a factory setting.
A manufacturing worker carefully inspects a white panel during the production process in a factory environment.

Manufacturers recognize that AI will be central to future competitiveness. But technology alone won’t deliver transformation. The leaders closest to the factory floor, those who shape the daily employee experience, may hold the key to whether adoption succeeds or stalls.

Early findings show that AI is already making its mark on the factory floor. The most frequent types of AI in use among frontline workers include:

  • Vision systems: automating quality inspections and enhancing consistency

  • Physical AI: robots and smart machines supporting repetitive or hazardous work

  • Machine learning: forecasting equipment failure and improving uptime

Building on these findings, PwC and the Manufacturing Institute conducted a survey to better understand how frontline leaders influence the employee experience in an AI-enabled workplace, what new skills they need to lead through rapid change, and how their effectiveness impacts both workforce engagement and business outcomes.

The results reveal both the opportunities and challenges ahead. Stay tuned for updates on the release of the findings.