After years of denouncing A.I., Elon Musk announced his own artificial intelligence company, xAI, in July. While a relative latecomer to the space, xAI has set its sights sky high with a stated goal to “understand the true nature of the universe,” make sense of reality and answer life’s biggest questions.
These goals are not only grandiose on a biblical level, they also are an extreme about-face for the mercurial tycoon. Musk previously warned about the dangers of A.I., calling it “our biggest existential threat.” He chastised rivals such as OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Microsoft for moving too fast and developing the technology without proper regulations and considering its risks to humans, while employing algorithms that are too politically correct.
While Musk clearly wants to protect his business interests and prevent competitors from getting too much of a head start, he vows that xAI will seek to build a “good AGI” (artificial general intelligence) that can solve problems like a human.
On a more grounded level, manufacturers already are exploring ways that A.I. can boost efficiencies and bolster bottom-line performance. How fast and to what extent the technology is successfully deployed is unclear. But the likelihood of it coming to a shop floor near you seems inevitable, and, judging by the volume of story pitches in my inbox, such applications could happen relatively soon.
While we’ll certainly be carefully watching and reporting on the latest A.I. trends and potential effects on the manufacturing industry, there are no immediate plans for us to staff up with our own chat/editor bots. In fact, we recently added two new members to the Manufacturing Engineering team: Associate Editor Cameron Kerkau and Senior Editor Hillary Cargo.
I’m happy to report that not only are both Cameron and Hillary real people, they also are very talented, dedicated and personable—you could even say they’re full of life! You’ll be reading more from them in upcoming issues and seeing them at industry events.
However, their arrival coincides with the departure of Senior Editor Bill Koenig, who retired at the end of June after nearly nine years with SME. Bill has been a stalwart during his tenure here and throughout his career, which spanned several newspapers across the country as well as a 12-year gig at Bloomberg News. While he covered many beats, Bill specialized in automotive and business reporting. He’ll be missed for his industry acumen and experience, as well as an acerbic wit and encyclopedic knowledge of classic movies—especially anything related to James Bond. We wish him good luck, good health, Q-like gadgets and relaxation in all his endeavors.
As one of Bill’s final projects, he spearheaded our annual Motorized Vehicle supplement. This month’s issue also features in-depth stories on automated laser technology, casting and furnace operations, modular workholding and milling machines. We also preview FABTECH 2023, which will be held Sept. 11-14 in Chicago. Enjoy!
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