Ford rehires ‘gray beard’ engineers after AI falls short
Bloomberg reports the company’s chief operating officer Kumar Galhotra told journalists that Ford had been “relying more and more on automated quality systems” with disappointing results. Instead, it’s using the rehired employees — referred to as “gray beard” engineers — to train younger staff and reprogram AI tools. This rehiring seems to be paying off, with Ford anticipating that it will lead to $1 billion in reduced costs this year.
- ▪Bloomberg reports the company’s chief operating officer Kumar Galhotra told journalists that Ford had been “relying more and more on automated quality systems” with disappointing results.
- ▪Instead, it’s using the rehired employees — referred to as “gray beard” engineers — to train younger staff and reprogram AI tools.
- ▪This rehiring seems to be paying off, with Ford anticipating that it will lead to $1 billion in reduced costs this year.
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In Brief Posted: 12:05 PM PDT · June 28, 2026 Image Credits:Bloomberg / Getty Images Anthony Ha Ford rehires ‘gray beard’ engineers after AI falls short Ford executives said they have hired 350 veteran engineers — some of them were former employees, while others had been working at suppliers — after artificial intelligence and automated systems failed to deliver the desired quality level. Bloomberg reports the company’s chief operating officer Kumar Galhotra told journalists that Ford had been “relying more and more on automated quality systems” with disappointing results.
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