Dive Brief
- Although frontline manufacturing leaders are vital for successfully adopting artificial intelligence, many employees say their leaders are not ready to lead AI-driven change, according to a new survey by consulting firm PwC and the Manufacturing Institute.
- It also found that excluding frontline leaders from design and rollout can cause AI initiatives to fail.
- This is one of several recent surveys finding that although manufacturers have made some progress in adopting AI in their daily operations, they still face significant barriers. These include network readiness and cybersecurity breaches, among others.
Dive Insight
Many companies are looking to AI to address the current manufacturing labor shortage. However, this strategy may not be as fruitful as some hope.
“[AI] investments are reshaping how work is performed more than they’re reducing labor demand,” the survey said. “Rather than easing pressure on the frontline, AI often introduces new complexity by changing how decisions are made, how performance is measured, and how work is executed day to day.”
As a result, successfully adopting AI requires a different management approach than previous automation efforts did.
“AI influences judgment, decision-making, and daily workflows, requiring leaders to guide not only process changes but mindset shifts,” the survey said. “AI adoption depends on leaders who can guide teams along an adoption curve that moves from skepticism to excitement, from experimentation to integration, and ultimately to reimagining work. “
However, not all leaders are perceived as up to the task. In the survey, only 48% of respondents rated their frontline leaders as very or extremely effective in shaping the overall employee experience of frontline workers. At the same time, 54% of respondents reported low or very low confidence in frontline leaders’ readiness to lead AI-driven change.
Another problem is that many employees are not ready to embrace the technology. For example, 45% of frontline leaders reported being skeptical of AI, although 50% said they were excited about its potential. Frontline workers were even less enthusiastic, with 62% saying they were skeptical and just 24% reporting excitement.
“That divergence can have long-term implications for AI adoption,” the Manufacturing Institute said in the news release. “Frontline leaders may be positioned to drive implementation, but sustained adoption often depends on the conviction of the workers responsible for day-to-day execution. Without alignment, momentum of AI adoption can stall as early curiosity does not translate into lasting adoption automatically.”
To reduce skepticism and resistance, the Manufacturing Institute said it is important to offer “meaningful training” around AI and treat it “as a primary capability with demonstrable benefits.” This point is underscored by the fact that 45% of survey respondents said their companies’ AI initiatives failed in part because frontline leaders were not sufficiently included in the design or rollout process.
“Manufacturers can move from experimentation to sustained impact by equipping frontline leaders to lead curiosity, deliver operational value and build trust in daily work,” the survey said.
The survey of manufacturing human resources and operational leaders was conducted in the third quarter of 2025.
