The U.S. has the potential to reclaim its throne as one of the world's largest manufacturing powerhouses — but not in the ways other countries, like China, have achieved this mission.

China has a manufacturing workforce of 212 million, which outnumbers those of the U.S., EU, Japan, Canada, Korea, India, Mexico and Vietnam combined. Yet China's manufacturing activity has constricted in recent months, and the country's Education Ministry estimates that the sector will face a massive worker shortage by 2025, which might give the U.S. an opening as it works to bring factories home.

Still, naysayers think the U.S.'s industrial force will never catch up. In terms of manufacturing employment, they're right — we're not going to see 200 million workers take up careers in American factories overnight. 

But the U.S. will restore its manufacturing powerhouse status by leading where it’s already ahead: the artificial intelligence race. The country has initiated $249 billion in AI funding and employs the leading number of "top-tier" AI researchers, at 60%.

AI's potential for radical innovation in manufacturing is unmatched. In order to advance down the path to becoming an industrial juggernaut, American manufacturers must educate themselves on how AI can help meet their goals, including filling labor gaps and enhancing sustainability while driving efficiency, increasing profitability, and improving machine reliability. 

AI will be a crucial solution for the U.S. as it looks to bring factories home. Not only does this disruptive technology drive efficiency with fewer workers in the mix, but it will attract an entirely new set of tech-savvy graduates who are excited to use AI on the job. 

For instance, AI-powered industrial co-pilots will be dynamic partners for both new and existing talent in the industry. These “assistants” will be able to help workers complete tasks more efficiently, increasing productivity and freeing up time for more advanced undertakings. These co-pilots are built on multiple advanced AI systems and, therefore, can make sense of complex production sensor data. The insights gleaned from that data are used by plant workers to improve production processes and power faster machine repairs. While AI can do some human tasks faster and more accurately, the co-pilots won't steal jobs. Instead, they’ll fill the critical gaps we're seeing in the U.S., and cut down on menial tasks, so employees can focus on decision-making and strategy. 

The timing of these breakthrough assistants couldn’t be more perfect. The industry currently faces a "Silver Tsunami," as older workers exit the workforce at an increasing rate. Moreover, the new generation of workers that the industry is trying hard to attract is becoming increasingly selective about where they work. They want their employer to share the same values, encourage a work-life balance, and provide opportunities to learn and work with ground-breaking systems. Introducing AI is the industry's way of providing all those benefits to workers while also enhancing efficiency across the organization.

While countries like China get a lot of pushback for their unsustainable manufacturing, with the help of AI, U.S. manufacturers could emerge as the green industrial champion in this space. 

According to our recent State of Production Health survey, most manufacturers (71%) say that sustainability efforts either hurt or have no impact on production goals. That’s a short-sighted view. What that group of manufacturers doesn't understand is that by deploying AI, sustainability actually boosts profitability. Using AI to meet environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals enables cleaner production, reduced waste and energy use, and increased optimization for machine efficiency, safety and machine uptime.

We're seeing a trend of consumers wanting more sustainable products and being willing to go out of their way to find them. With AI-driven sustainability, manufacturers can boost revenues, contribute to a cleaner environment, and improve brand reputation all at once. 

While China appears to be ahead in the ongoing manufacturing race, there's no reason that the U.S. can't close the gap. It will take a shift in focus toward innovative technologies, like AI, to improve critical areas where the U.S. needs to catch up. As technology continues to improve, becoming faster and smarter, it's only putting our country in a better position for success. By increasing efficiency, improving sustainability and empowering workers, the U.S. will emerge as the industrial frontrunner. 

Brian Fitzgerald is a growth strategist with Augury.