Two Factions: AI or Anti-AI?

As AI becomes part of everyday life and work, are we heading toward two distinct groups; those who embrace it and those who choose to avoid it?

In this episode, I explore whether that divide is already forming, what it could mean for the skilled trades and manufacturing, and whether there is still room for a middle ground.

Where do you stand: AI or Anti-AI?

NEXT EPISODE WE GO MORE IN DEPTH ON THIS TOPIC and I SHARE MY OPINION ON THE DANGER OF AI AND WHAT I DISAGREE WITH AND HOW IT MIGHT RUIN EVERYTHING; ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE PUTTING A CHIP IN YOUR BRAIN AND CONNECTING IT TO STARLINK.

Metal Fabrication Nation with Greg Sheldon. Real talk for welders, fabricators, shop owners, and the next generation of tradespeople. Built on the belief that AI won’t replace real tradespeople, and the trades aren’t a backup plan; they’re the backbone. 

Greg reminds welders, fabricators, foremen, shop owners, and tradespeople that they are not behind the times — they are building the future. Follow the show, share it with someone in the trade, and keep pushing the industry forward. Want to see what bad quoting may be costing your shop? Get the free calculator and Baseline Efficiency Report here: https://gregsheldon.github.io/metalfabexcel/calculator.html

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Welcome back to Metal Fabrication Nation. I want to say something that's probably going to make some people mad, maybe not. But everybody keeps saying AI is going to replace welders, fabricators, estimators, engineers, and project managers in the metal fabrication and manufacturing industry. This bullshit. It's not going to happen. I think lazy people will get replaced. People who refuse to learn, who will, you know, not adapt, will not give up the information in their head, they will get replaced. The tradespeople who learn AI, or who refuse to, they're going to get replaced. Think about it. A CNC machine didn't eliminate machinists. A plasma table didn't eliminate fabricators. CAD didn't eliminate detailers. It made the people who learned those tools more valuable. AI is just another tool. The real danger isn't artificial intelligence. At this point, it's not even really a threat. It's not AGI. It's stupidity. If you're spending two hours writing emails, sending SLPs, searching drawings, manually building takes up takeoffs, creating training documents, or making, you know, all of that redundant stuff. And someone else does it in 20 minutes? Who do you think the boss is going to promote? Here's the part nobody wants to hear. The highest paid people in your industry aren't always the best welders. They are the people who solve problems the fastest. They're also the humble ones and the ones that can learn. AI helps you solve problems. That's what makes you more valuable. I hear people say AI isn't accurate. Neither is the apprentice that you hired last month. You still have to check his work. But you don't replace his brain. You multiply it. North American manufacturing has a choice. Choose AI or die. However, let me say this clearly. I'm not anti-AI. I don't even know where it's all going, and neither do you. But I think, unfortunately, we're at a point where everybody is in a race now to adopt something. I even have developed products that are anti-ERP, anti-AI, like using spreadsheets, because I think there'll be two factions of people in the world. People who love AI and will put it in their brain and all of this crazy stuff, and then there's people who won't. And I'm already seeing it, and I know you are too. So that we all have a choice to make. What's the biggest threat? I don't know. You tell me. Let me know. Until next time, keep building, keep learning, and keep pushing North American manufacturing. We don't want China taking over. We don't want anybody taking over. We still want people to do the creative things that only people can do. We want AI to do the stuff that nobody wants to do anyway. So, God bless, take care, and comment and let me know your thoughts.