Ford Motor Co. has rehired about 350 veteran engineers over the past three years to address persistent quality issues that its automated systems failed to resolve.
The move marks a rare instance of a major manufacturer relying more heavily on experienced human engineers after finding that artificial intelligence alone was insufficient.
According to a Bloomberg report, many of the returning engineers are former Ford employees, while others were recruited from suppliers. They were tasked with mentoring younger staff and retraining the AI systems used for quality checks.
The strategy has delivered results, with Ford topping the latest JD Power Initial Quality Survey among mainstream brands for the first time since 2010.
"Artificial intelligence is a fantastic tool, but it's only as good as the information you use to train it," Ford Vice President of Vehicle Hardware Engineering Charles Poon said.
Poon said the company had not given enough importance to the experience of senior engineers who had worked through multiple product cycles.
Chief Operating Officer Kumar Galhotra said the returning specialists are leading mandatory meetings to identify quality issues and reprogram AI systems to detect potential defects before parts reach the factory floor.
"We had been relying more and more on automated quality systems" without achieving the desired results, he said.
Chief Executive Officer Jim Farley said the improvements have reduced warranty and recall costs, generating savings worth "hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars." Ford is targeting $1 billion in cost reductions this year.
Poon said the company had mistakenly believed AI could deliver high-quality products simply by processing design requirements, adding that the systems needed to be trained by experienced engineers.
Despite the progress, Ford remains the most recalled automaker in the United States. Galhotra said recalls are a lagging indicator and are expected to decline as the new quality measures take effect.