72% of manufacturers use AI, only 10% have scaled it: the gap on the line is uncertainty

Parsec Automation's 2026 State of Manufacturing Survey, reported in Automation World on 20 August 2026 (sample size not stated), finds that 72% of surveyed manufacturers have adopted AI in some form, up from 53% two years earlier. Only 10% of them have scaled AI and automation across their entire network. A separate survey by Revalize and TEAM LEWIS (500 decision-makers at manufacturers with 100+ employees, fielded in fall 2025) reaches a similar picture: 56% use AI only in select areas and 10% say it is fully embedded.

The workforce numbers explain part of the gap. Of the people running equipment, 53% describe themselves as receptive to AI and 22% as resistant. At the same time, 53% of manufacturing employees believe AI could replace significant parts of the workforce. Among leaders, 25% are enthusiastic early adopters, 36% interested but hesitant and 34% cautious.

Parsec's CEO Suzanne Rudnitzki argues that what leaders call resistance may be something else: uncertainty. The economic reading is direct. An operator who cannot tell whether a tool improves the job or removes it has a rational reason to under-use it, and under-use is exactly what keeps a pilot from reaching the network. Adoption is a cost that falls on the people who must change their routines; without clarity, that cost is priced high.

Skills compound the problem. Parsec reports the skilled-talent shortage cited as a barrier rose from 30% in 2024 to 36% in 2026, and 72% of leaders say upskilling will be very or extremely important over the next three years.

Cardan-AI recommendation: before the next rollout, state in writing which tasks change and which jobs do not, put an operator in the design team from the first week, and name a site owner who signs the KPI. Train on the real line during paid hours, and review adoption monthly with a stop, fix or scale decision. Read the full field notes.