The Missing Data: Why Your AI Fails at the Core of Craftsmanship
"We have plenty of data from machines, but not enough from human action."
"To make manufacturing accessible to AI, we must first capture the digital footprint of human expertise." — Shin Nakamura
Shinichiro (Shin) Nakamura, President of one to ONE Holdings (o2Oh), joined Nirit Cohen on The Future of Less Work podcast to discuss integrating AI with traditional craftsmanship. In the episode "Where AI Stops Working in Manufacturing," Shin shared how digitizing human expertise is the key to attracting Gen Z and scaling global operations.
Transforming Craftsmanship into Digital Assets to Attract Future Talent
Shin identified a key challenge: Western systems focus on standardization, while Japanese manufacturing depends on "tacit knowledge," or intuitive skills passed verbally across generations.
This undocumented expertise is not accessible to AI, creating a gap that o2Oh aims to address. The discussion also addressed why more educated young workers are choosing manufacturing roles.
Shin noted that as AI disrupts white-collar jobs, manufacturing can offer a high-tech, meaningful career if roles are improved to be safer, cleaner, and more rewarding through digital enhancements.
Strategic Insights:
- Capturing Human Data: Success depends on digitizing communication and procedures—the "human action" data currently missing from the AI equation.
- Cultural Adaptation: AI must respect the "artisan approach" to remain functional in high-context industrial environments.
- Knowledge Resilience: In an era of shorter tenures, digitizing legacy knowledge ensures a company’s “shared brain” grows even as the workforce shifts.
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