While the promise of artificial intelligence (AI) to transform the manufacturing industry is not new, long-ongoing experimentation hasn’t yet led to widespread business benefits. Manufacturers remain in “pilot purgatory,” with Gartner reporting that only 21% of companies in the industry have active AI initiatives in production. 

However, new research from Google Cloud reveals that the COVID-19 pandemic may have spurred a significant increase in the use of AI and other digital enablers among manufacturers. According to the data – which polled more than 1,000 senior manufacturing executives across seven countries – 76% of manufacturers have turned to digital enablers and disruptive technologies such as data analytics, cloud, and AI due to the pandemic.