The manufacturing聽skilled聽talent聽shortage is likely to worsen before it gets better, Manufacturing Institute President Carolyn Lee said at聽Google and MIT鈥檚聽recent AI for the Economy Forum in Washington, D.C.

What鈥檚聽going on:聽Lee was on聽the聽panel聽鈥�,鈥澛爉oderated by Day 2 Media Founder and CEO Poppy Harlow,聽to discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on manufacturing.

• 鈥淸Here鈥檚]聽the challenge we have in manufacturing on the talent front 鈥� by 2033, we鈥檒l need to fill 3.8 million jobs,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淭hink about聽all of聽the [manufacturer investment] announcements that have聽come.鈥�鈥β燱e think that聽number is聽only going to go higher.鈥�
• While AI will help workers do their jobs, Lee continued, 鈥渨e [will] still need a whole lot of skilled people at the center.鈥�

Critical to growth:聽While聽manufacturers聽were聽some of the first in AI adoption, there鈥檚 been a change of late, Lee told Harlow. Manufacturers now 鈥渟ee that聽while聽AI is critical to the growth of their business,鈥� some 82% 鈥渁re saying that their people don鈥檛 have the skills necessary to put it fully to work.鈥�

• 鈥淸R]ight聽now, we aren鈥檛 ready,鈥� Lee went on. 鈥淲e聽don鈥檛聽have the change systems in place and the skills and the people in place. 鈥� [P]eople聽are聽really still聽at the heart of it.鈥�

How it will help:聽AI will be instrumental in improving worker safety, Lee said.

• 鈥淸I]t will聽be able to, with vision systems, scan to say, 鈥極K, you are too close to this machinery, this swinging distance, this forklift, this [personal protective equipment] isn鈥檛 in place, the safety systems are not in place.鈥欌��

Part of a trusted culture:聽Rather than聽take聽people鈥檚 jobs, as has long been feared,聽AI will also be able to aid in attracting and聽retaining聽workers, Lee said.

• If 鈥測ou have a trusted culture where then workers can say, 鈥極h, you鈥檙e bringing in technology that鈥檚 going to make my job better, safer and improved,鈥� it helps feed [the notion that you鈥檙e a desirable employer], and then it will continue to grow.鈥�

Perceptions聽of manufacturing:聽Public聽perceptions聽of the manufacturing sector have changed聽for the better聽since the global pandemic, according to Lee.

• Prior to COVID-19,聽about 27% of parents said they would encourage their children to pursue careers in manufacturing. That figure is now at 49%, she said.

笔补谤迟颈苍驳听飞辞谤诲蝉:听But聽manufacturing聽isn鈥檛聽just one聽type of聽career; it has something for everyone.

• 鈥淭his is my main message when I鈥檓 out talking about this,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淲e need to make sure that people are getting the skills they need for the jobs they want.聽We need to show them what those paths are.鈥�