Lighthouses AI Journey: 4IR and AI use cases and the positive impact at the factory floor

In 2018, the global manufacturing community was lagging in its adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies, with more than 70% of companies stuck in “pilot purgatory

The manufacturing Industry identified the need for a neutral collaboration platform to accelerate adoption of 4IR technologies in manufacturing through new alliances, partnerships and a shared, cross-industry learning journey

The Project:

The World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network is a community of manufacturers showing leadership in applying 4IR technologies at scale to drive financial and operational impact by transforming factories, value chains and business models

Applied AI use cases have become increasingly prevalent with each new Lighthouse cohort with 58 use cases coming from the latest wave in December 2023 alone.  Lighthouses piloting GenAI have achieved 80%+ user adoption in just few days or weeks, showcasing AI as a viable and reliable 4IR technology for manufacturing.

With 153 sites, across 30 countries with 700 use cases, the Global Lighthouse Network shows that adoption of 4IR technology is imperative to reach impact at scale.  Introduction and adopting AI into its use cases is showcasing that factories can drive positive impact across critical operational and financial metrics, including sustainability, agility, productivity, speed to market and customization.

This session will draw upon use cases from leading Global Lighthouse sites across the US to discuss the importance of the designation globally as well as the key AI use cases that have allowed for positive impact from the factory floor to its boardroom.