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7 The Surge of Automation with AI at the Edge

It is human nature to seek more material gains with minimal labour. Get more with less. The concept of automation must have been born somewhere in that pursuit to explore different options to seek greater returns, hundreds of years ago. This quest, when channelised well with novel ideas, available technologies and ingenuity, has led to wonderful innovations. These innovations have changed the ways in which humankind lives, operates and thrives on this planet.

The journey of industrial manufacturing spans across a few centuries, and the journey of automation goes hand in hand with it. Automation has played a critical role in shaping the manufacturing sector and, in turn, the world as it is today. In the First Industrial Revolution, mechanical machines helped improve the speed of manufacturing. It also reduced the human-introduced variability in the goods produced, even though these machines operated on steam or other rudimentary energy sources and were inefficient with frequent breakdowns. In the Second Industrial Revolution, the availability of electricity and its ease of distribution made it possible to make the machines more efficient and reliable. The advent of assembly-line manufacturing dramatically improved industrial manufacturing productivity, irrespective of what the factory was producing. Further, electronic technology and its derivatives like computers and industrial control systems brought about a massive change in the scale and speed of manufacturing.

As of 2025, the industry is experiencing the impact of the internet and its extended application in the IIoT. IIoT is a hyperscale interconnection of sensors, equipment, devices, machines and humans that interact and integrate the physical and digital worlds. This unification is giving rise to a new world—a meta-world. A meta-world is a virtual ecosystem that combines digital technologies like VR, AR, AI and systems that conduct commerce (for example, cryptocurrency) with the real world. It creates a shared space where people can connect, interact and conduct their business. It is also known as the ‘metaverse’. Metaverses are expected to transform the way humans live, allowing them to interact with the virtual world along with machines and computers, without residing in the same physical space. We are already using early concepts and innovations of such metaverses for learning, working, shopping, socialising and entertainment. Automation in manufacturing is bound to leverage this concept to further enhance manufacturing capabilities and stretch the realm of possibilities.

The rise of AI and its application in the manufacturing sector holds an exciting promise to transform the industrial world, going beyond mere enhancements on the shop floor. AI, combined with conventional automation systems, can deliver the promise of ‘autonomous manufacturing’—a dream that eliminates the need for humans at manufacturing locations, enhancing safety, reliability, efficiency and productivity. Autonomous manufacturing has the potential to eliminate human fatalities in difficult and hazardous manufacturing locations and sidestep expensive mistakes caused by manual operations. Similar to the concept of a driverless car, an entire manufacturing facility can be self-operated, self-controlled and self-sustained with minimal human intervention.

There is a popular concept of a futuristic factory with only a dog and a man at the manufacturing facility.1 The man’s responsibility in this concept is to feed the dog, and the dog’s job is to ensure that the man does not interfere in the manufacturing process of the factory. Far-fetched as it may sound, this concept may not be far from reality.

We started this conversation with the human quest to attain more with less. This may be a path leading us to the pinnacle of an uber-automated world. However, the aim behind this is not to promote human idleness but to make humans more creative, productive and happy. Automation combined with AI can positively impact the quality of our lives in ways that we may still not be able to clearly foresee or fathom. Those who are passionate about automation—stay tuned. The best in automation is yet to come!

练习题

According to the section, what human tendency helped give rise to the concept of automation?

A. The desire to preserve traditional manual skills regardless of productivity

B. The pursuit of greater material gains with minimal labour

C. The preference for small-scale production over industrial production

D. The need to avoid all forms of technological change

Which option best matches the First Industrial Revolution’s contribution to manufacturing automation?

A. Electricity made machines more efficient and reliable.

B. Mechanical machines increased manufacturing speed and reduced human-introduced variability.

C. IIoT connected sensors, machines and humans into digital networks.

D. AI enabled fully autonomous, self-sustained factories.

Which development is most directly associated with the Second Industrial Revolution in the section?

A. Steam-powered machines became less reliable.

B. Electricity and easier power distribution made machines more efficient and reliable.

C. Cryptocurrency became part of commerce in virtual ecosystems.

D. AI eliminated the need for humans at manufacturing locations.

Select all statements that correctly describe manufacturing progress discussed in the section.

A. Assembly-line manufacturing dramatically improved industrial productivity.

B. Electronic technology, computers and industrial control systems changed manufacturing scale and speed.

C. The First Industrial Revolution relied mainly on VR, AR and cryptocurrency.

D. Automation and industrial manufacturing evolved together over several centuries.

E. The Second Industrial Revolution made machines less efficient by removing electricity from factories.

Which statements accurately describe IIoT and the meta-world/metaverse as presented in the section?

A. IIoT is a hyperscale interconnection of sensors, equipment, devices, machines and humans.

B. IIoT integrates the physical and digital worlds.

C. A meta-world combines technologies such as VR, AR, AI and commerce systems with the real world.

D. Metaverses require all people to be in the same physical space to interact.

E. Early metaverse concepts are already used in learning, working, shopping, socialising and entertainment.

True or false: The section argues that manufacturing automation is expected to use metaverse concepts to expand manufacturing capabilities and stretch the realm of possibilities.

True or false: Autonomous manufacturing, as described in the section, aims mainly to increase human idleness by removing people from all productive activity.

AI combined with conventional automation systems can deliver the promise of ___ manufacturing.

In the section’s driverless-car analogy, what features would an autonomous manufacturing facility have, and what benefits could this create?

Explain how the dog-and-man factory story connects to both the future of automation and human roles in an AI-driven world. Include one link to a prior life-sciences role or leadership idea.

A pharmaceutical company wants to move toward a self-operated biomanufacturing facility that uses IIoT-connected sensors, machines and humans, while also designing digital workflows for automated bioprocesses. Which prior role is most directly connected to this current-section goal?

A. Digital Trial and Decentralised Study Manager

B. Bioprocess Automation and Digital Manufacturing Engineer

C. Real-World Evidence and Omics Integration Lead

D. Carbon and Circular Biomanufacturing Lead

Which statements correctly connect the current section’s vision of AI-driven automation with prior knowledge about AI-era leadership and roles in life sciences?

A. Autonomous manufacturing may improve safety and reliability, but leaders still need to consider governance and accountability for AI systems.

B. Because autonomous manufacturing reduces human intervention, ethical AI and autonomous systems auditing becomes irrelevant.

C. IIoT-enabled manufacturing aligns with the need for digital manufacturing engineers who can automate bioprocesses and use data analytics.

D. AI-era leadership may require cross-disciplinary integration of technologists, data scientists, clinicians and ethicists as automation expands.

E. Assembly-line manufacturing eliminated the need for electricity in the Second Industrial Revolution.

True or false: The current section’s dog-and-man factory image suggests that humans become completely unimportant in AI-driven manufacturing, which matches the prior view that AI-era leadership no longer needs governance, compliance or ethical oversight.

In a smart biomanufacturing context, the current section’s description of ___ as a hyperscale interconnection of sensors, equipment, devices, machines and humans directly supports the prior role focused on smart or continuous manufacturing and automated bioprocess workflows.

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