Why factory owners are sending their workers to in

On Danone’s 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 aren’t meant to replace human workers. Rather, says Danone’s 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