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On Danones factory floors, where frontline workers make products like Dannon and Activia yogurts and Evian water, smart sensors detect vibrations and temperature changes to signal potential machine malfunctions. AI-powered vision systems find quality defects well before the human eye. AI even helps streamline processes like spray drying powdered baby formula. These systems arent meant to replace human workers. Rather, says Danones chief operating officer Vikram Agarwal, Machines will be our colleagues, and we will be theirs. In this piece, paid subscribers will learn: Why manufacturing companies are focused on reskilling rather than replacing workers How Danone uses AI “digital twins” Which skills employees are learning to become “more agile, more responsive” THE RISE OF THE ROBOT COLLEAGUE Were already seeing this happen: in Amazon warehouses theres nearly one robot per human. While employers generally want factory workers to learn how to work with robots rather than get replaced by them, taking employees off the factory floor for digital training can increase labor costs, as employers must cover posts left unmanned by someone participating in a classroom-style session. Most frontline employees dont have access to flexible, job-embedded learning opportunities, says Matthew Daniel, senior principal for talent strategy at workforce training organization Guild. As a result, theyre often being left out of the first wave of AI enablement strategies. Yet he points out these employees may need AI training the most. Forty percent of advanced manufacturing skills will evolve in the coming years, he says. A 2023 Boston Consulting Group study found that just 14% of frontline workers, including factory workers, have received AI training, compared to 44% of business leaders. Thats why companies like Danone have created in-house academies that upskill employees on technologies like AI and automation. Danones Industry 5.0 Academy aims to equip more than 20,000 of its manufacturing workers, from China to Brazil, with what Agarwal calls practical AI skills, like using the tech to test products, map out production processes, and detect defects. A few other major manufacturers, like Bosch, have taken similar paths, mixing on-the-job learning (to prevent disruption on factory floors) with instructional sessions led by vendors and even apprenticeships. Physical work by operators will increasingly be replaced with operators [training] AI models to do the physical work, Agarwal says. The aim of Danones academy is to make those operators roles more agile, more responsive, and more focused on problem-solving. AI academies meet the moment of need In-house AI academies train employees on how AI and increased automation can reduce downtime and up efficiency with factory worker assistance. At engineering company Bosch, which has an AI Academy that had trained more than 65,000 associates as of January 2025, factory floor workers engage in classroom-style sessions with in-house AI experts focused on real projects taking place at the plants where they work, says Caroline Bird, digital officer for Bosch Mobility, Americas. That way, they can take what theyve learned from the class immediately back to manufacturing frontlines. In factories where AI is being applied, its typically embedded directly into the tools workers already use, making it a natural extension of their workflow, says Eddy Azad, CEO of Parsec, an organization that works with thousands of manufacturing companies to help incorporate AI into their operations. He cites companies that use AI-powered assistants in manufacturing systems to bring quality issues to employees as soon as theyre detected, like at Danone. The company also uses AI for predicting when problems might arise, so frontline workers can solve them before they get too serious. AI assistants at other companies help with tasks like logging performance events, Azad says, or initiating shift changes, performing services that cut out busywork. Danone also uses digital twins, or AI simulations that let production team members test new products or processes virtually so as not to waste energy or ingredients by testing with physical models. We can model emissions outcomes before changes are made, Agarwal says, and create production lines that are more sustainable. At Bosch, U.S.-based factories use AI to plug up inefficiencies. For instance, if one manufacturing line goes down, the AI can tell workers from that line where theyd be most productive elsewhere in the factory during that shift. Importantly, in-house AI upskilling academies dont require workers to come into trainings with technical backgrounds. Instead, as at Bosch, they focus on setting a strong foundation so associates understand how AI works, says Bird. At Boschs South Carolina manufacturing facility, for example, the company held a session about engineering AI prompts to increase efficiencies on the factory floor, using real examples from the facilitys operations. Weve seen the best results when training is delivered in small, focused increments through embedded work instructions, guided prompts, or short, role-specific video walkthroughs, says Azad of advanced technology trainings. Its not about formal seminars. Its about targeted support at the moment of need. AI is foundational, not optional Ultimately, AI and automation upskilling, or reskilling, programs aim to keep workers valuable. Per a study published in the Harvard Business Review in 2023, a large, unnamed auto manufacturer straight up told some of its engineers that their skills were becoming obsoletethey would have to learn how to use smart technology in their work to maintain job security. When executives come to Parsec, Azad says the questions they ask are pragmatichow can AI help us reduce downtime, improve quality, or run more efficiently? Azad adds that one question they tend not to ask is, Should we replace people? Instead, they ask about how to train their teams. Danones Agarwal has called AI reskilling a company priority. Now that Industry 5.0 Academy is up and running, Danones begun working on a new network of 10 factories to pilot disruptive models, Agarwal says, that will focus on human-machine collaboration. Meanwhile, Bird says Bosch sees AI driving so much growth that the company plans to invest more than $2.7 billion in the technology by 2027. Despite this explosion in AI and automation on factory floors, formal academies like Danones are still not very common, says Azad. But he sees it as a burgeoning trend, he adds: A standard part of manufacturing workforce development in the years ahead. After all, soon, these skill sets wont be optional, says Daniel. Theyll be foundational for factory workers, as technicians roles increasingly shift from manual labor to digital. When machines go down, he sas, it takes more than a wrench to bring them back online.
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E-Commerce
If youve been keeping tabs on AI news, youve likely heard of Mobley vs. Workdaya lawsuit where a job applicant claims that AI-powered hiring software has unfair bias. For many companies, this ongoing lawsuit has been a moment to carefully consider how they are rolling out AI in their hiring process. As the CEO and cofounder of an AI-native skills company, I’ve spent the last decade working with talent leaders to build better and fairer hiring processes. And, here’s the uncomfortable truth: The biggest source of hiring bias isn’t AIit’s us. While high-profile lawsuits like Mobley gets all the headlines, over 99.9% of employment discrimination claims in the previous five years dont center on AI bias, but on human bias. The conversation today isn’t about whether to use AI, but how to use it to fundamentally improve the flawed, human-driven status quo. Are AI hiring tools biased? The simple answer to whether AI hiring tools are biased is often yes. Because most AI models are trained on historical data, they can inherit and amplify existing human biases. However, a far more relevant question is: Are AI systems more biased than humans? The answer to that is a resounding no. The same meta-analysis that showed employment discrimination claims were based on human bias, also shows that female candidates experience up to 39% fairer treatment with AI compared to human evaluators, and racial minorities see up to 45% fairer treatment. This isn’t an excuse to ignore the risk of AI biasit’s a signal that AI can and should be a tool to raise the standard for fairness in hiring. Best practices to reduce bias when using AI hiring tools Just because AI is usually less biased than humans doesnt mean that it is bias-free. Here are four key ways your company and its vendors can manage and mitigate bias in your AI hiring systems. #1: Publish AI explainability documentation The first step for any employer or AI hiring tool is to clearly and thoroughly explain the rubric AI uses to score candidates and how candidates are evaluated against these criteria. This explainability statement should make sense to a nontechnical audience. #2: Conduct bias testing and auditing Bias audits were once rare, but today many companies consider them nonnegotiable. With the meta-analysis showing that 75% of AI hiring tool vendors now conduct bias testing, this has become a core expectation. Start by asking your vendors to track disparate impact for sex and race/ethnicity to comply with laws like NYC Local Law 144. Then expand your audit to other categories like age and disability status. #3: Stay on top of AI regulations Today, companies across the globe should be aware of four major regulations and standards affecting AI use in hiring processes: NYC Local Law 144 regulates the use of automated employment decision tools (AEDTs) that use AI and requires audits for bias and public disclosure of the results. Colorado SB 24-205 requires AI hiring tool vendors and companies using them, to comply with bias monitoring and reporting requirements. The EU AI Act establishes a wide-ranging legal framework for ethical AI use in the European Union. ISO 42001, a set of global standards rather than regulations, specifies requirements for the use and maintenance of AI within organizations. In the coming years, more regulations governing AI tool usage will likely emerge, with growing pressure for vendors to comply with international standards. To stay competitive in the hiring market, companies using AI hiring tools should ensure their vendors keep up with changes to these regulations. #4: Keep humans in the loop Regardless of how and where they implement AI, companies should keep a human involved in the hiring process. A best practice for AI-powered skills screening tools, for instance, is to provide a summary of how each candidate scored against the AI tools rubric. This allows hiring teams deeper insight into how AI makes its recommendations and provides context for teams to make their own decisions about advancing a candidate in the process. Final words The fear of AI risks in hiring is understandable, but it needs to be weighed against the significant, well-documented risks of not using it. The real risk for leaders today isn’t adopting AIit’s falling behind. The tools now exist to leverage AI not just for efficiency, but to build a more equitable and skills-based hiring process. The choice for leaders is clear: We can either continue accepting the inherent biases of human-led hiring processes, or use technology to raise the bar for fairness, and build a better way to hire. Tigran Sloyan is CEO and cofounder of CodeSignal.
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E-Commerce
Young people arent just the leaders of tomorrowtheyre leading right now. Theyre influencing culture, driving social movements, and embracing technology faster than most of us can keep up. They may not have a seat in the boardroom, but their influence is already being felt in every corner of societyincluding your bottom line. As a mother of three and a leader at UNICEF USA, Ive seen firsthand how this generation is stepping up. Ive also seen a growing appetite among business leaders to meet this moment by actively engaging young people in shaping what comes next. International Youth Day, observed on August 12, was a moment to reflect on how we do that with intention and imaginationbuilding systems, products, and workplaces that are inclusive of the next generation and resilient for the long haul. Engaging youth is a strategic advantage Young people aged 1524 make up 16% of the global population and are among the most values-driven, digitally fluent, and socially engaged generations weve ever seen. Theyre setting expectations for what brands stand for, how leaders show up, and what the future of work should look like. Engaging them responsibly offers a real competitive edgebut just as meaningfully, it creates space for them to help shape a future theyll actually want to inherit. At UNICEF USA, weve embraced this as an opportunity. Our National Youth Council and Youth Representatives (ages 1424) dont just advisethey lead. They drive campaigns, influence policy, and activate peers across the country. Through our Child Friendly Cities Initiative, they partner with local governments to advocate for policies that make communities better for all childrennot one day in the future, but right now. And when one of our Youth Reps, Charlotte, took the stage at the Social Innovation Summit alongside leaders from Pinterest, lululemon, and UNICEF, she didnt just speakshe delivered. Her reflections on a major youth mental health study brought the data to life and made the stakes more personal and urgent for those in the room. As she spoke about the pressures young people facefrom constant news cycles to the weight of global challengesyou could feel the room shift. It was a powerful reminder that when we make space for youth to speak for themselves, the insights are deeper, the solutions get sharper, and the work becomes more human. Charlotte didnt just make the case, she embodied it. Youth voices arent symbolic. Theyre catalytic. Young people are shaping tech Todays young people arent just adapting to new tools, theyre actively shaping how those tools are used. Theyre early adopters, creators, and cultural accelerants, often outpacing the very systems designed to support them. As a mom, I see it every daykids are teaching us grown-ups whats next. And as a self-proclaimed data and tech enthusiast, its exciting. The pace of innovation holds incredible promise for how we learn, work, and connect. The promise of innovation is realbut so are the risks. To unlock its full potential for children, we need to design with their well-being in mind. Thats why UNICEF developed policy guidance on AI for children, shaped through input from technologists, companies, policymakers, academics, civil society, and even young people themselves. Its meant to be a practical starting point that supports innovation while keeping childrens safety at the center. If technology is shaping the future of business, then business must help shape a digital landscape that protects and empowers every child. Every company has an impact on children Even if your work isnt centered on children, your impact reaches them through the products you build, the stories you tell, and the policies you set. Investing in children pays off. Research shows that the return on investment for high-quality childcare and preschool programs, for example, was 13% annually per child. Those outcomes include health, IQ, maternal income, the childs adult income, and crime involvement. The business case is clearand so is the opportunity. Whether its through ethical design, youth mentorship, inclusive community programs, or family-friendly policies, there are countless ways to help build a more child-friendly world. What matters most is doing it. A more resilient future, built together Business leaders across sectors are already asking sharper questions, bringing in new perspectives, and recognizing that sustainable growth depends on the well-being of future generations. Young people may not be in the boardroom, but theyre shaping the world were building. Their influence is already driving culture, shifting expectations, and transforming markets. When we embrace that influence, we unlock stronger business and societal solutionsand design growth strategies that are built to last. Michele Walsh is executive vice president and chief philanthropy officer of UNICEF USA.
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E-Commerce
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