Ford Motor Company is bringing back more than 300 experienced engineers after its push to automate quality control ran into trouble.
The automaker had leaned heavily on artificial intelligence to catch design and manufacturing defects. But the systems missed key issues that only experienced engineers could spot. Over the last three years, Ford has rehired “grey beard” engineers to retrain AI tools and run hands-on quality reviews.
Charles Poon, VP of vehicle hardware engineering, Ford, reported that the company had made a mistake in assuming AI alone could deliver results. He noted that the firm believed introducing AI and feeding it existing design requirements would be enough to produce high-quality vehicles.
Poon also stated that AI is a powerful tool, but its effectiveness depends entirely on the quality of data used to train it. He further acknowledged that Ford had not paid enough attention to the experience of its most seasoned engineers.
The returning engineers are now pulled off daily production schedules. Instead, they act as internal auditors and lead weekly design reviews to find failure points before vehicles reach the factory floor.
The move is already showing results. Ford claimed the top spot among mainstream brands in the JD Power 2026 US initial quality study, marking its best performance in 16 years. Jim Farley, CEO, Ford Motor Company, also said warranty and recall expenses are falling, with potential savings running into hundreds of millions.
Ford added that it will keep deploying AI in its plants, including 900 AI-powered cameras, while ensuring grey-beard engineers oversee training and supervision.
