ARM Institute Launches AI Webinar Series for Manufacturing

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is on everyone’s minds lately. As the nation’s leading robotics and articial intelligence (AI) Manufacturing Innovation Institute, the ARM Institute is constantly being asked questions about AI, including: how can I incorporate AI into my manufacturing processes, what skills does my workforce need to work with AI-enabled robotics, how do I get started, and what is the impact of AI in manufacturing.

The ARM Institute difference is that we go beyond the headlines and into the practical applications of AI in manufacturing.

AI isn’t a new area for the ARM Institute. Since 2017, we’ve catalyzed hundreds of robotics projects, many of which leverage AI and machine learning (ML) to improve efficiency, quality, speed, and lower costs. Through these projects and through collaboration with our 450+ member organization consortium, we’ve been tracking trends, best practices, and lessons learned in AI for manufacturing over the past several years. Through ARM Institute projects, we’ve made a real impact on manufacturing through the use of AI. We’ve developed roadmaps that detail the current capabilities of AI in manufacturing and center on the future advancements needed, which then feed into the creation of our project calls.

To help manufacturers understand how they can leverage AI, the ARM Institute is launching a summer public webinar series centered on the practical applications of AI in manufacturing that will detail many of these findings. This three-part series will focus on the basics of AI in manufacturing, the impact on the manufacturing workforce, and a deep dive into the technical best practices for AI-enabled robotic solutions.

The first webinar in this series, led led by Suzy Teele (ARM Institute Chief Strategy Officer), centered on AI in Manufacturing: The Basics. More than 250 individuals registered for this session, demonstrating the immense interest manufacturers have in AI solutions. In this session, Suzy explored:

  • The components of AI and definitions of different types of AI
  • The benefits of AI in manufacturing & how AI is being used in manufacturing
  • The challenges to leveraging AI and pitfalls to avoid
  • Steps to implementing AI in your manufacturing operations

You can access the recording of this webinar in the video link above or here.

Five Key Takeaways from Our AI in Manufacturing: The Basics Session

  • There are many reasons to leverage AI for manufacturing, including capturing the knowledge of a key employee who is leaving or retiring, decreasing the errors that may be a result of a dull, dirty, or dangerous process, enabling better predictability on a manufacturing process or equipment, increasing productivity, and if you are having difficulty finding skilled employees

  • Some common uses of AI in manufacturing include AI-assisted learning: where AI can help employees learn new skills to adapt to changes in their roles, AI-enhanced visual inspection: where AI can help quality control specialists identify issues and production flaws, Industrial Robotics: using AI to help robots move items, pick and pack orders, and in Collaborative robots: where AI can help robots learn tasks, avoid obstacles, and work with humans

  • While AI usage has recenty increased significantly after years of stagnation, its use in manufacturing remains lower than other industries. The use of generative AI increased from 33% in 2023 to 71% in 2024. The use of AI by business function varied from 36% in IT to 12% in manufacturing (the lowest)

  • Some common reasons why AI use in manufacturing remains low includes lack of data to train AI agents, lack of employees with the needed skills to work with AI, lack of resources to help manfuacturers get started, and a lack of success stories to reference

  • No two journeys are the same, but the key, general steps to getting started with AI on your manufacturing floor are: 1) Identify key areas for AI applications, 2) Collect and organize data, 3) Partner with an AI development firm (if you become an ARM Institute Member, you can find these firms on our digital Member Community), 4) Start with pilot projects, 5) Train your workforce, 6) Monitor and optimize

Our Next Two AI-Focused Webinars

Join us in late July for a webinar focused on the impact of AI on the manufacturing workforce and the skills workers will need to work with AI. This session will detail findings from our efforts to develop an AI competency framework in collaboration with our member consortium, similar in concept to our existing robotics competency framework. You’ll learn what skills workers need for to work with AI in manufacturing, how we worked to define these skills, and our plans to integrate this work into RoboticsCareer.org.

Our August webinar will provide a more technical perspective on AI solutions, common uses of AI in manufacturing, and next steps to exploring AI for your manufacturing tasks.

The dates for our next two webinars will be announced soon. Subscribe to our mailing list to be notified about these dates and to receive the links to register.

Dive Further into AI at our Annual Member Meeting

ARM Institute Members will have the opportunity to delve further into AI for robotics in manufacturing during our 2025 Annual Member Meeting taking place September 3-5 in Pittsburgh, PA. This event is free to attend, but open only to ARM Members. Our Annual Member Meeting features three days of networking, collaboration, knowledge-sharing, technology demonstrations, and more.

For our 2025 Annual Member Meeting, you can expect your favorite parts of past Member Meetings, including networking, five-minute member pitches, project updates, robotics demonstrations, our Champions Dinner, our Mill 19 networking reception, as well as:

  • Tech Day activities and project-teaming efforts for a NEW Tech Project Call that we expect to release prior to our event
  • An increased focus on AI in manufacturing
  • Interactive networking and knowledge-sharing activities to provide input into ARM Institute’s programs and strategies and learn best practices
  • Opportunities to meet our new CEO, Jorgen Pedersen

ARM Members can register to attend using the Member Community. Email us at [email protected] for assistance.

Not a member? Join our consortium by August 2025 to be eligible to attend.

Learn more about our Annual Member Meeting here

Contribute to the Future of AI in Manufacturing

ARM Institute Members lead the way to a future where people and robots work together to respond to our nation’s greatest challenges and to develop and produce the world’s most desired products. By becoming a member of our 450+ member organization consortium, you’ll join thousands of subject matter experts in building the future of US manufacturing through robotics, AI, and workforce innovations. Your membership unlocks not only access to member-exclusive events and webinars, including our Annual Member Meeting, but also project funding opportunities, project outputs, networking, a digital platform for collaboration, and more.

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ABOUT THE ARM INSTITUTE

The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute is a Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense under Agreement Number W911NF-17-3-0004 and is part of the Manufacturing USA® network. The ARM Institute leverages a unique, robust, and diverse consortium of 450+ members and partners across industry, academia, and government to make robotics, autonomy, and artificial intelligence more accessible to U.S. manufacturers large and small, train and empower the manufacturing workforce, strengthen our economy and global competitiveness, and elevate national security and resilience.  Based in Pittsburgh, PA since 2017, the ARM Institute is leading the way to a future where people & robots work together to respond to our nation’s greatest challenges and to produce the world’s most desired products. For more information, visit www.arminstitute.org and follow the ARM Institute on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).

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