Ford Says AI Couldn't Replace Experience in Vehicle Quality Control
News Desk
30 June 2026, 17:15
Ford has acknowledged that its growing reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) for vehicle quality inspections failed to deliver the expected results, prompting the automaker to bring back hundreds of experienced engineers to strengthen quality control.
According to Bloomberg, Ford has rehired more than 350 veteran specialists over the past three years. Internally known as "gray beards," these experienced engineers now review designs, identify potential manufacturing defects and help resolve problems before components reach the assembly line.
Ford Chief Operating Officer Kumar Galhotra said the company had become too dependent on automated quality systems.
"We had been relying more and more on automated quality systems and not getting the desired results. We brought back technical specialists and they hunt for failure points before a part ever reaches the plant floor."
Experience proves difficult to replace
Ford says the renewed emphasis on human expertise has already improved vehicle quality.
The latest J.D. Power Initial Quality Study ranked Ford as the highest-performing mainstream automotive brand for the first time in 16 years, a milestone the company attributes in part to the return of experienced engineers who can spot issues that automated systems miss.
Ford Vice President of Vehicle Hardware Engineering Charles Poon admitted the company underestimated the importance of institutional knowledge accumulated over decades of vehicle development.
"Over prior years, we didn't pay as much attention as we should have to the experience of our most knowledgeable engineers that have been with us through many product cycles. Mistakenly, we thought that by just introducing artificial intelligence and ingesting the design requirements that we had, that that would produce a high-quality product."
His comments underscore a growing realization across the manufacturing industry that AI can accelerate engineering workflows but cannot fully replace experienced human judgment, particularly in complex quality-control decisions.
AI remains part of Ford's strategy
Ford stressed that it is not abandoning AI. Instead, the company plans to use AI as a tool alongside experienced engineers, who will also help refine and train future AI systems using real-world manufacturing expertise.
The automaker remains the most-recalled vehicle manufacturer in the United States, although executives say many of those recalls stem from legacy quality issues rather than current production processes.
EV business remains under pressure
The renewed focus on product quality comes as Ford continues to navigate challenges in its electric vehicle business. According to Business Insider, Ford's Model e division lost US$4.8 billion in 2025, while combined sales of the Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning and E-Transit declined 14% from a year earlier.
During the company's earnings call, CEO Jim Farley acknowledged weakening consumer demand, saying, "So I think the customer has spoken. That's the punchline."
Ford entered the mass-market EV segment ahead of most traditional automakers with the Mustang Mach-E in 2020 and the F-150 Lightning in 2022. While early demand was strong - helping the company secure roughly 200,000 reservations for the Lightning - sales have since slowed.
In 2025, Ford sold 27,307 F-150 Lightning pickups, down 18.5% year over year, while Mustang Mach-E sales remained largely flat at 51,620 units. The expiration of the US$7,500 federal EV tax credit also weighed on demand, contributing to a sharp decline in monthly Lightning sales.
As Ford works to improve profitability, the company appears to be recalibrating its approach - using AI to support engineers rather than replace them, while relying on decades of human experience to improve vehicle quality.
