AI could put robots to work on jobs that keep changing. Here’s how to get ready

On Sunday, the Indian news agency ANI covered a report by S&P Global, the financial research firm, on what AI means for industrial robots. Its conclusion: AI will widen the market for robots, but the companies that make them may benefit “less” than their customers.

What S&P Global found

Robots have long paid off on long runs of identical work, like welding car bodies. They’ve made less sense where the work keeps changing, because every new job meant costly programming. The report says AI could change that: “AI is poised to expand industrial robotics’ addressable market, particularly where programming complexity and process variability have constrained automation.”

Its other points:

• Easier programming comes first. The report expects AI to improve how robots are programmed, simulated and fitted to each job before fully autonomous robots are practical at scale.
• Customers may capture much of the value. “Greater equipment flexibility and utilization could partly offset demand for additional robots,” it said, and software providers may take a share. A business could automate more tasks with the robots it already owns.
• No guaranteed windfall for robot makers. S&P said it does “not assume that rising AI adoption will necessarily translate into higher profitability across the industry.”

The backdrop is a boom. According to the International Federation of Robotics, factories installed more than 600,000 industrial robots in 2025, up 11%, and 5 million are now at work worldwide. The United States passed Japan to become the second-largest market, installing almost 38,500, up 12%. The federation says easier programming and system integration are “reducing deployment costs and opening automation to new applications and customer groups.”

Why it matters for your business

If you run a small plant or shop, you’ve probably heard that robots are for big factories with long runs. This report challenges that. Work with frequent changeovers, the kind smaller manufacturers do every day, is exactly where S&P expects AI to make automation pay.

The lesson applies even if you never buy a robot. S&P’s point about utilization, getting more out of equipment you already own, holds for any machine. A mill, packing line or delivery truck that sits idle is capacity you’ve already paid for.

Closer to home

Picture a Dothan metal fabrication shop that welds dozens of small custom orders a week. Programming a robot for each one never paid off. If AI cuts setup from hours to minutes, a welding robot could take the repeat work while the shop’s best welders handle the tricky jobs.

Or picture an Enterprise company that ships parts to aviation customers, with every order a different mix of boxes. Or a Wiregrass peanut processor whose packing line switches bag sizes several times a shift during harvest.

None of them needs a robot tomorrow. Each needs to know where its time goes today.

Five ways to get ready

1. Count your changeovers. Write down how often each machine or line switches jobs and how long each switch takes. That’s the cost AI-assisted programming is aimed at.
2. Measure the equipment you have. Track how many hours each machine actually runs against how many it could. Then find out where the rest go: breakdowns, waiting on material, or setup.
3. Ask vendors about programming, not just price. Ask how a new job gets programmed, who does it, how long it takes, and whether you can test it in a simulation first. The robot is only part of the cost.
4. Start collecting machine data now. Run hours, error codes, repair records and output counts are the raw material for predicting breakdowns and planning production.
5. Bring your operators in early. The people who run your machines know which jobs are repetitive and which need judgment. Plan for them to set up and supervise the robots.

A robot that’s easier to program is still only as good as the plan around it.

Where we can help

Our predictive analytics service builds custom models from your own data: ones that spot early signs of equipment wear, so you can schedule repairs before a breakdown stops the work, and forecasts that help you plan output, materials and crews. We start from the decision a prediction should improve, tell you honestly whether your data is enough to predict well, test models on periods they haven’t seen, and deliver results in the tools your team already uses. Book a free strategy call.

Sources

• ANI: AI to boost industrial robotics growth, but manufacturers may benefit less than customers: S&P Global, November 8, 2026
• International Federation of Robotics: Five Million Robots now Operate in Factories Globally, September 24, 2026