Reflecting on the 2026 MichAuto on the Island Roundtable: AI, Manufacturing and Michigan's Moment

Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in the 2026 MichAuto on the Island Industry Stakeholders Roundtable alongside some of the sharpest minds to discuss AI's impact on the future of work. Joining me were Andrew Yang of the Forward Party and Ronia Kruse of Optech and Digital Lakes.

The conversation was candid and a little sobering in places. Here's what stood out to me.

The macro picture is real, and it's moving fast

Andrew didn't sugarcoat it, the numbers he threw out are hard to ignore. Student placement rates have dropped from 80% to 20%, creating uncertainty for new grads. No matter the industry, whether it’s tech, banking or manufacturing, automation is moving faster than most people on the inside want to admit. 

But the ground-level reality is more nuanced

From my perspective in working directly with manufacturers, we're still very much in a "human in the loop" era. AI is not replacing full jobs on the shop floor or in the back office. What it is doing is dramatically reducing the time and headcount required for work like competitive analysis, which used to require thousands of people. That's not nothing, but it's also not the apocalypse.

The risk I see isn't AI moving too fast. It's companies being too slow to adapt. Organizations that resist or ignore AI adoption don't just fall behind competitors; they lose their best people, too, because talented professionals want to work with modern tools.

Humans remain the priority

Here's something people are often surprised to hear right now: OnTrac AI is hiring far more humans than we're spending on AI. That's intentional. We use AI to enhance what our people do, sharpen competitive analysis, accelerate coding and surface insights faster. We don't use it to replace the judgment, relationships and creativity that only people bring.

That won't change anytime soon.

Michigan has a real opportunity here

Yang made a compelling point about state-level policy. There's a window right now for Michigan to get ahead of this, not by over-regulating or creating a patchwork of rules, but by engaging proactively and securing a genuine seat at the table with the AI industry. States that act first have real leverage. Michigan has the industrial base, the talent, and frankly the motivation to lead this conversation.

The bottom line

This isn't an either/or. You don't have to choose between adopting AI and taking care of your people. The winners in this space will be those who use AI to make their people better and then invest in those people. 

That's what we're building at OnTrac AI. And I'm glad Michigan is starting to ask the right questions.