(Radio Iowa) – A report from a national trade group suggests about half of U-S manufacturers already use artificial intelligence in their factories. Nicole Crain is president of the IOWA Association of Business and Industry, which represents about 600 manufacturers in the state and she says use of A-I probably isn’t at that level yet in Iowa factories. “Twenty-some percent are looking into it,” she said. “They’ve dabbled into a little bit.” A couple of manufacturers in Fairfield were early adopters of A-I technology, according to Crain.

“I look at the innovation that they have there,” she says. “They just invested in automation and robotics early on.” Google and Microsoft operate data centers in Iowa and both companies are building A-I infrastructure and some manufacturers are using the technology to speed up interactions with customers and accelerate the work of employees doing things like developing products. A-I is also being used to identify risks on the shop floor and manage the assembly line.

“So I think as far as competing, our members are leaning into A.I.,” Crain said. Crain says a state grant program for manufacturers with fewer than 125 employees is helping. The grants can be used to buy to buy things like 3-D printers, autonomous robots and augmented reality devices “We want to encourage the state to do that so those small and mid-sized folks can compete because as we’re looking at the rural economy…in order to keep those jobs in rural Iowa, those manufacturers have to invest,” Crain said.

“They want to invest, but we have to support that at the state level as well.” Applications for the next round of these grants are due in November. Crain made her comments during a recent appearance on Iowa P-B-S. A National Association of Manufacturers report suggests 80 percent of U-S manufacturers expect A-I will be critical to either growing or maintaining their business by the end of the decade.