Can AI save American manufacturing from collapse?

American manufacturing is on the brink. More than 2.1 million jobs could go unfilled by 2030 due to a widening skills gap, according to Heather Carroll, Chief Revenue Officer at Path Robotics. And if nothing is done, the sector risks long-term damage.

"We’re facing a shortage of labor in a way that most people don't fully understand," Carroll says. "It’s not a small problem – it’s a national one."

Speaking on the CEO: Behind the Scenes podcast with host David Jepson, Carroll describes an aging workforce, a lack of new talent and the growing complexity of advanced manufacturing processes as key threats to the industry’s future.

"We have an entire generation of highly skilled tradespeople who are retiring. The knowledge that they have just doesn't exist in the same way in the workforce coming up behind them," she says.

AI bridging the gap

As companies struggle to meet demand, growth is being stifled – and the United States is falling behind.

But there is hope. Carroll believes AI can bridge the labor gap – not in the future, but right now. At Path Robotics, she and her team are deploying adaptive AI systems that allow robots to see, sense and make decisions on the fly, unlocking new levels of flexibility and scalability for manufacturers of all sizes.

"This is not about replacing humans," she says. "We don't have the humans. The ones who are there are very good at what they do, and so it's about augmenting them."

Carroll is clear that AI isn’t a silver bullet – but it might be the best shot the industry has.

"The problem isn't going away. If anything, it's accelerating," she says. "We need to act now or risk being left behind."

The clock is ticking. For Carroll, the stakes couldn’t be higher. "We are at a make or break moment for the United States when it comes to skilled labor," she says.

But, she enthuses, if leaders look to the future and adopt the technology now, the opportunities are both exciting and incredible.

Listen to the full episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes with Heather Carroll to uncover how adaptive AI could be the key to reversing the manufacturing decline in the United States. If you care about the future of industry, workforce resilience and staying competitive in a shifting global economy, this is a conversation you can’t afford to miss.

Listen to the latest episode of our CEO: Behind the Scenes podcast with Heather Carroll on Amazon, Apple or Spotify.