Autodesk and Make UK have released their ‘Future Factories powered by AI’ report, which surveyed 151 companies about AI adoption and automation.
The report summarises the opportunities and challenges met by UK manufacturers, and proposes how government initiatives and regulations may be able to support the adoption of new technology in the sector.
It revealed that two thirds of British manufacturing companies are using AI (artificial intelligence), in particular to manage energy use and reduce waste, but only 16% of those surveyed feel knowledgeable about AI’s potential uses.
36% of companies are using AI in their manufacturing operations, with large companies more than twice as likely as SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) to be integrating AI into their operations.
A quarter of companies use AI as part of their efforts to decarbonise, with 93% using it to optimise energy consumption and 57% to improve resource efficiencies.
Barriers to AI adoption include a lack of knowledge regarding how best to apply it, as well as limited access to technical and digital skills.
Lower adoption rates amongst SMEs are preventing them, the survey suggested, from realising the increased profits seen by almost a quarter of companies and an ability to take on more work seen by a third of companies after integrating AI.
Use of digital tools including robotics remains low, with 16% of companies operating robotics and 38% considering using them. Almost a third of companies surveyed (29%) are not considering using robots at all.
The UK is currently positioned 24th in the global rankings for robotics use, and uses 0.5% of the world’s robots compared with 1.6% being used in Italy, which has a similar sized industrial base.
The full report is available to read online now.
Above: Digital factory – Image Credit Autodesk
