Based on what I have seen, many companies are still shy of using AI. The efficiency and ease of AI is a double edged sword. It can take away jobs, and there are still inquisitions about accuracy. A side question I have is: Does the FDA have any regulation or recommendation about how AI can be used in manufacturing or quality processes? Besides that, I believe there is a personal component that is involved. Engineers are generally interested in innovation and technology. However, some executives and engineers can be uncomfortable with the idea of AI being used. They can have legitimate concerns, or it can be personal beliefs that might be getting in the way. Also, the use of AI depends on the company. A larger (richer) company have the capability to implement AI on a wide scale across many disciplines in the company, from documentation or quality control on the manufacturing floor. Smaller companies may not have that ability, due to costs. I echo the other posts in this thread where engineers must be up to date as to what types of AI are being used and the innovations in it that are associated. It would be unfortunate and foolish for a company to have the ability to implement AI, but did not due to lack of knowledge or attachment to "the old ways".
This was a great discussion to mention. Since we are now entering the age in which the world is beginning to heavily rely on artificial intelligence its is almost certain that it will be in every industry. For example, in quality assurance let's say there is a certain process which they need to monitor for a certain device. If there is a model created to track for certain indicators it can prove to be quicker and potentially more accurate then a human. It may also find ways to make the process more efficient. To answer how can you stay up to date is fairly simple. Ensure that your company has a team that not only watches but invests in emerging technologies as it could prove to be useful
I believe that emerging technologies would be very valuable in the field of QA. With the use of AI, quality management systems could improve by more easily detecting problems with the systems to prevent audits from finding. This way, the system can improve much quicker be much better prepared for audits. Also, when doing quality control, the AI can be used to better find the root cause of a non-conformance, and much quicker find a solution.