Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast AI and the Future of Industrial Maintenance (Plant Services)
9 snips
Jan 22, 2026 Michael D. Holloway, a 30+ year lubrication and reliability expert and founder of Fifth Order Industry, talks about how AI will take over repeatable maintenance tasks while humans keep nuanced sensing and judgment. He explores AI in oil analysis, how labs speed diagnostics, and how technicians can upskill into automation and higher-value diagnostic roles.
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Tasks Not Jobs
- AI will replace repeatable, predictable, and documented tasks but not human judgment yet.
- Michael D. Holloway argues judgment remains the core survivor as AI automates routine work.
Human Context Still Matters
- AI processes years of maintenance data in seconds but lacks full sensory context humans use for diagnostics.
- Holloway highlights humans integrate many senses and contextual cues AI currently can't replicate.
Use AI To Accelerate Development
- Use AI to compress experimental and development cycles by predicting outcomes from data.
- Holloway recommends leveraging AI to iterate designs and diagnostics faster before physical testing.
