Brief
Ford CEO Jim Farley says AI will be a ‘companion’ for blue‑collar workers but cut other jobs
Farley described AI as a tool for factory and trade workers, warning that finance, call‑center and entry‑level programming jobs face elimination.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Ford CEO Jim Farley told reporters at a backstage roundtable during the Ford Pro Accelerate event that artificial intelligence will primarily act as a "companion" for blue‑collar workers, while many routine, screen‑based jobs are likely to be changed or eliminated.
What happened
Speaking alongside Carhartt president Linda Hubbard and Stanley Black & Decker CEO Chris Nelson, Farley said AI will arrive in factories, repair bays and skilled‑trade workplaces to help people perform complex tasks, build expertise faster and address a shortage of technical labor. He contrasted this with roles in finance, call centres and entry‑level programming, which he said are "definitely going to be changed and eliminated" in the first wave of AI adoption.
What the reports add
Farley noted that Ford employs more than 10,000 skilled‑trade workers, roughly 20% of its 56,000 UAW‑represented workforce, and that these workers are already moving beyond traditional maintenance to repairing robots, handling fiber and supporting digital manufacturing. He said the line between engineering and skilled trades is blurring in newer plants, with workers sometimes maintaining equipment similar to semiconductor fabs.
What was said
"I think most of these jobs will be both using AI and also protected from it," Farley told Fortune.
"If you want to take apart a Super Duty, it’s like a two‑day job to take the engine out. … We are using AI for them to say, ‘Okay, do this, do that,’" Farley added.
How it came about
The comments follow Ford’s recent push with the Ad Council to promote skilled trades to Gen Z amid AI‑related employment concerns, as reported in Felo’s earlier coverage of the company’s skilled‑trade campaign.
Key facts
- Jim Farley described AI as a "companion" for blue‑collar workers. (fortune.com)
- He warned that finance, call‑center and entry‑level programming jobs are likely to be eliminated. (fortune.com)
- Ford employs over 10,000 skilled‑trade workers, about 20% of its 56,000 UAW workforce. (fortune.com)
- AI is being used to help technicians disassemble a Ford Super Duty engine, a task that normally takes two days. (fortune.com)
Sources
- [1] fortune.com — originally reported as “Ford CEO sees blue-collar workers using AI as a ‘companion’ — but other jobs 'are definitely going to be changed and eliminated'”
