Why America Needs Industrial Independence Powered by AI and Practical Innovation
A Message from Ford’s CEO and a Call to Action for U.S. Industry
At the Aspen Ideas Festival, Ford CEO Jim Farley raised a national alarm: the essential economy of the tradespeople, field technicians, logistics teams, builders, and manufacturers that keep America running is falling behind.
Productivity is dropping. The skilled labor gap is widening. And digital transformation has largely ignored the physical economy.
“If productivity in essential work had simply kept pace with the rest of the economy,” Farley noted, “our GDP would be 10% higher.”
At Digital Scientists, we’ve spent the last 18 years helping companies modernize, innovate, and build new capabilities, especially in industries where safety, performance, and long-term transformation matter most.
Industrial Independence Starts With Modernization
Farley’s idea of industrial independence is about more than reshoring production; it’s about owning your infrastructure, data, and capability.
We’ve seen what that looks like up close.
Modernization Example: INPO (Nuclear Industry)
In support of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), we helped modernize one of the most safety-critical digital platforms in the U.S., used across the nuclear power industry.
This wasn’t just a lift-and-shift project. It was:
- A complete re-architecture for performance, flexibility, and long-term scale
- Designed to integrate with modern tools while preserving institutional knowledge
- Built around data stewardship, security, and user trust
This is the kind of modernization the essential economy needs: platforms that can evolve, tools that fit the workflow, and systems that support humans, not replace them.
Where AI Comes In: The Right Use Case, the Right Domain
Too often, AI solutions are built with assumptions rooted in Silicon Valley. However, the right use cases emerge from real operational pain points and a deep understanding of the domain.
AI Example: MDS Decision Support for Nursing Staff
Skilled nursing facilities utilize Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments to determine reimbursement, care planning, and staffing. These assessments are complex, high-stakes, and often under-supported.
We built an AI-powered assistant that:
- Surfaces relevant clinical, historical, and compliance data at the point of assessment
- Helps nurses make better, faster decisions without digging through dozens of screens
- Reduces errors, flags inconsistencies, and highlights care or reimbursement opportunities
This is what practical AI looks like: augmenting professionals, not replacing them. It gives front-line staff more time to do meaningful work. It builds intelligence that serves people, not the other way around.
The AI Delivery Center: A Practical Framework for Transformation
We launched the AI Delivery Center to help organizations in essential industries take control of their own futures. Not with hype. With capability.
Our four-stage framework helps companies:
1. Lay the Foundation
– Fast wins, quick productivity boosts
– Internal AI tools like search, document summarization, scheduling
2. Integrate with Operations
– Embed AI into operational systems like ERPs, CRMs, MES
– Reduce overhead and improve insight
3. Optimize for Insight
– Add forecasting, intelligent automation, and smarter UX
– Enable proactive, data-driven decision making
4. Transform into Builders
– Create your own internal AI Center of Excellence
– Generate and protect proprietary AI IP
We don’t just build projects. We help teams develop repeatable capabilities they can own and grow.
Backed by 18+ Years of Innovation Experience
We’ve partnered with some of the most demanding clients in the world:
- INPO, in nuclear operations
- Global manufacturers like InterfaceFlor and healthcare companies like McKesson
- Mailchimp, a pioneer in email marketing working with AI for more than a decade
Whether modernizing a legacy platform or building an AI copilot, our focus is the same: measurable impact, internal enablement, and long-term ownership.
Let’s Build Industrial Independence Together
AI should not erase the craft of real work.
It should protect it, amplify it, and free it to grow.
Digital Scientists is here to help the essential economy become more resilient, more productive, and more independent, with tools built around the people doing the work.
Ready to Start?
We offer:
- Modernization of critical platforms
- Custom AI development aligned to real workflows
- A proven roadmap to internal capability
To explore more:
Schedule a call to discuss our AI Readiness Assessment for your organization.
Watch Jim Farley’s full interview at the Aspen Ideas Festival
“The Urgent Need to Rebuild America’s Industrial Economy”
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