89 networks and prepare for a future of human-machine collaboration. AI’s multilayered impact will touch nearly every sector AI has advanced from hype to deployment and will move closer to achieving a headline impact of nearly $15.7 trillion in global economic value over the medium term, forecasts PwC. In fact, research from McKinsey shows that almost nine in 10 companies (88 per cent) already regularly use AI in at least one business function. However, we can expect use cases to expand considerably, as multiple types of AI are used in practical and measurable ways to support complex outcomes, whether these are generative and vision applications, or AI agents that automate routine tasks. Predictive maintenance and quality control are the most common AI use cases across industries, from manufacturing to utilities and energy. For some, the results can be transformative: food and beverage manufacturer Nestlé, for instance, quickly reduced product variations for its Nesquik and Ovaltine brands with user-friendly dashboards and no-code analytics. The result was a 10 per cent reduction in waste and improved buyer confidence, which prompted the company to expand the approach to other product lines as part of its wider sustainable manufacturing transformation. Labour shortages are now becoming structural Demographic changes and new ways of doing business are driving systemic labour gaps. US manufacturers could face 1.9 million unfilled jobs by 2033 if current trends persist, predicts Deloitte. The World Economic Forum (WEF) forecasts there will be a large increase in demand for technical skills like AI, cybersecurity and technological literacy, particularly in the renewables, mining and energy sectors. Digital platforms that extend worker productivity will also become more prevalent. Those gains come by way of assisted maintenance such as at Carson City Public Works in Nevada, Las Vegas, where operators no longer need to leave their offices to check on remote facilities across their 158-square-mile operations area. Other applications lie in on-site training, automated quality checks and knowledge transfer. As the WEF notes, this is the only viable path to meeting output targets with available headcount. Industrial intelligence supports proactive operations With end-to-end data visibility and AI, industrial software can now scale to tackle increasingly complicated business problems, evolving from a tool that reports on operations to one that runs them. In the process, human judgement is being augmented and strengthened. Industrial enterprises are facing a period that is growing increasingly non-linear, accelerated, volatile and interconnected. The companies that thrive in future will be those able to turn disconnected tools into integrated systems that learn and adapt continuously. Learn more about CONNECT at: www.aveva.com/en/solutions/connect Kim Custeau is executive vice president of portfolio management at AVEVA The City of Salem in Oregon uses AVEVA's platform to analyse water data to prevent the growth of algae blooms and cyanotoxins in its waterways INDUSTRIALS & MANUFACTURING
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