"Connect the 'AI Islands'... The Key to Manufacturing AX Transformation Is Real-Time Orchestration"

Interview with Miguel Nhuch, Vantiq CRO

"Failure Likely If Left Only to the CIO"

"AI Is Not Just Software"

"Learning of a Robot Accident Three Hours Later Is Useless"

While artificial intelligence transformation (AX) strategies are rapidly spreading among companies, simply adopting AI models or subscribing to generative AI services does not immediately boost corporate productivity. In the manufacturing sector, existing equipment, sensors, robots, work systems, and legacy data often operate separately, and in many cases, AI also functions independently by department or by role.

Miguel Nuñez, Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) for Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Latin America at Vantiq, is being interviewed by The Asia Business Daily. Photo by Paek Jongmin, Tech Specialist

Miguel Nhuch, Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) for Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Latin America at Vantiq, emphasized that the key to resolving this confusion and succeeding in corporate AX lies in 'AI orchestration,' which connects field systems and AI in real time.

In an interview with The Asia Business Daily on the 28th, Nhuch said, "The most common mistake companies make is viewing AI as software like Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint." He explained, "AI is not an application itself, but a component used within applications."

His diagnosis of the current state of AX transformation is that companies are failing to connect AI to actual work processes. Many companies are attaching AI separately to each department or process, but such an approach makes it difficult to achieve productivity gains or secure safety. Nhuch CRO referred to this as 'AI islands.' He noted, "If AI operates like an isolated island, it cannot share information with other systems in real time, which can escalate problems."

He particularly cited safety and productivity as reasons why real-time capabilities are essential in manufacturing. "A robot can injure a person," he said, "and if someone only finds out about it three hours later, it's meaningless." Nhuch CRO added, "What managers want is not the technology itself, but a factory that is safe, productive, and efficient."

Regarding Vantiq's real-time AI orchestration, he described it as a structure that connects robots, sensors, equipment, legacy systems, and multiple AI agents in the factory into a single flow, enabling immediate situational awareness and response. Nhuch CRO stated, "A company needs an infrastructure that is orchestrated as completely as the human body," and emphasized the need to coordinate various systems, machines, and AI as a unified whole.

Nhuch CRO advised that companies should reprioritize their AI investments. While many companies focus first on which large language model (LLM) to use, what really matters is how to integrate AI into workflow. He said, "What business leaders want is not technology itself, but the improvement of efficiency, output, management, and the overall environment of the factory."

To CEOs and CIOs leading AX initiatives, he recommended changes in organizational operations. "AI is about changing how a company operates," he said, "and when implementing new systems, business stakeholders must always be involved." He specifically pointed out that entrusting AI adoption solely to the CIO or IT department is risky. Both operational and technical departments need to share responsibility.

Regarding AI hallucinations, errors, and accountability, he stressed the need for a collaborative structure between humans and machines. "Tasks that are low-risk and high-frequency can be automated by AI, but in high-risk tasks, AI should make suggestions and humans should make the final decisions," he explained.

Nhuch CRO predicted that demand for real-time AI orchestration will grow in Korea's manufacturing, healthcare, defense, and public sectors, adding, "I will help the Korean market successfully implement true AI and truly intelligent systems."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.