A Cognitive Assistant for Operators: AI-Powered Knowledge Sharing on Complex Systems

Operating a complex and dynamic system, such as an agile manufacturing line, is a knowledge-intensive task. It imposes a steep learning curve on novice operators and prompts experienced operators to continuously discover new knowledge, share it, and retain it. In practice, training novices is resource-intensive, and the knowledge discovered by...

Lessons Learned from Designing and Evaluating CLAICA: A Continuously Learning AI Cognitive Assistant

Learning to operate a complex system, such as an agile production line, can be a daunting task. The high variability in products and frequent reconfigurations make it difficult to keep documentation up-to-date and share new knowledge amongst factory workers. We introduce CLAICA, a Continuously Learning AI Cognitive Assistant that supports...

Harnessing Large Language Models for Cognitive Assistants in Factories

As agile manufacturing expands and workforce mobility increases, the importance of efficient knowledge transfer among factory workers grows. Cognitive Assistants (CAs) with Large Language Models (LLMs), like GPT-3.5, can bridge knowledge gaps and improve worker performance in manufacturing settings. This study investigates the opportunities,...

The Human Factors of AI-Empowered Knowledge Sharing

Many industries are facing the challenge of how to capture workers' knowledge such that it can be shared, in particular tacit knowledge. The operation of complex systems such as a manufacturing line is knowledge-intensive, especially if the operator must frequently reconfigure it for different products. Considering the breadth and dynamic...