AI Agents vs. AI Copilots: What They Are and When to Deploy Them

Abstract

When determining which approach best suits a manufacturing operation, several factors should be considered, including process complexity and variability; risk tolerance and safety; workforce skills and readiness; and integration requirements. Think of them as intelligent digital assistants providing guidance, support, insights and recommendations, while leaving final decisions and actions to human operators. In manufacturing contexts, AI agents might autonomously monitor equipment health and trigger maintenance workflows, proactively identify training needs for frontline workers, analyze production data to automatically adjust process parameters, independently manage inventory replenishment based on usage patterns, identify quality issues and initiate corrective actions or orchestrate complex workflows across multiple systems.