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AI, robotics could make 'dark' auto factories a reality. * Luke Ramseth and Breana Noble The Detroit News * Oct 1, 2026 Updated 1 hr ago * 0 Paris is positioning itself to become the first major global metropolis to phase out personal cars entirely. Under aggressive urban policies led by Mayor Hidalgo, Paris has eliminated half of its car traffic over the past two decades. A cornerstone of this transformation is the "15-Minute Ci... In parts of a Zeekr factory in northeastern China, hundreds of robots piece together luxury electric vehicles in the dark. If there's no need for human workers, there's no need to keep the lights on. Experts say no fully "lights-out" mass-vehicle plants exist yet, but that could change soon, exerting enormous pressure on legacy automakers from Detroit to Germany and Japan. With fast-improving artificial intelligence and new, more agile robotics hitting the market, automakers and suppliers increasingly study how to eke out more efficiency inside their plants - even in notoriously complex stages of the process such as final assembly. People are also reading... China is out front; some Chinese carmakers, such as Geely Group's Zeekr, BYD Co. Ltd. and Xiaomi Corp., already automated large swaths of their manufacturing processes. "There are entire sections where lights aren't on or you don't see people," said Tu Le, managing director of consulting firm Sino Auto Insights, of several Chinese plants. "Usually in final assembly, though, there's people. But it's much more automated than I think rank-and-file Westerners believe." Detroit knows it must keep pace on automation to compete with China's increasingly dominant auto industry. A growing number of physical AI and similar automation firms from Silicon Valley and beyond are arriving to test their technology and hardware in Michigan's manufacturing-dense environment. The prospect of auto factories completely or largely run by robots powered by AI also raises uncomfortable - even existential - questions about employment levels and the need for widespread job retraining. "We are in a fight for humanity," United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain said of AI during a Detroit conference over the summer, warning the technology could be a job-killer for the union's members just as the North American Free Trade Agreement was decades ago. He added, "the rainy day is now; it's here," and the union must respond quickly. 'Greatest labor issue' The UAW is watching major auto plants it represents become increasingly automated. Ford Motor Co.'s $2 billion overhaul of its Louisville Assembly Plant to make the new Fathom electric pickup, for instance, will include a highly automated assembly process that will mean about 600 fewer employees at the plant. That overhaul comes as CEO Jim Farley marveled at the pace of innovation and manufacturing know-how in China, and plainly stated it threatens Ford's existence as a company. General Motors Co., meanwhile, took heat from the union for recently adding dozens of collaborative robots, or cobots, to its Factory ZERO in Detroit even as more than 1,000 workers remained laid off. Stellantis NV touted new AI-powered robotics systems in areas including quality control and tracking parts inventory inside factories. Lear Corp., a major auto seating and electronics supplier headquartered in Southfield, recently opened an "advanced manufacturing and integration center" in Rochester Hills where it demonstrates lights-out production and other advanced manufacturing methods it aims to integrate into more plants. On a recent earnings call, CEO Ray Scott also described how Lear successfully ran a fully lights-out shift using automated injection-molding machines at one of its plants in Germany. AI-fueled automation became a key issue in UAW leadership elections set to conclude in October. One candidate for president, Greg Mooney, built much of his campaign message around how the union must both adapt and fight back against AI. He's advocated for writing strong AI-specific contractual language and setting up job retraining programs within the union to help workers transition to new, in-demand roles involving AI and robotics. "We need to have a seat at the table on how it's going to be implemented - AI's not going away," Mooney said in an interview. "This is the greatest labor issue of our generation." Given AI's rapid advancement, UAW leadership should prioritize bringing back tough contractual language setting minimum employment levels - language that was watered down following the Chrysler and GM bankruptcies, said Tony Totty, president of UAW Local 14 in Toledo and a candidate for one of the union's vice president roles. Such a policy would require a certain number of jobs to be maintained, regardless of whether carmakers introduce new automation inside their plants. "We've got to have jobs, because those robots aren't going to buy these vehicles," said Totty, who represents members at a large GM transmission plant and made AI a central plank of his campaign. Automation inside auto plants steadily increased, especially when new production lines were installed. Now, he said, the pace and intensity are gaining speed. Suppliers explore dark factories. In a "perfect world," a dark factory might be the goal, Paul Thomas, president and CEO of Bosch in North America, told The Detroit News at an Automotive Press Association event on Sept. 22. The current automation phase for the Germany-based auto supplier emphasizes people working alongside robots, as the company balances costs, quality and social responsibility. That means Bosch is adding more cobots and other purpose-built robots to its plants. "We've been able to integrate automation while also increasing the knowledge of our workforce," he said during the event. "So, the people that used to assemble parts are now controlling the (Programmable Logic Controllers) that run our automation. And for me, that's amazing." Forvia SE of France, another major auto supplier with a large Michigan presence, is developing AI-powered tools that can automatically check weld quality or other potential flaws with products such as its seats, said Chad Durkee, the company's technology scouting director in North America. It's studying other robotics that could have the adaptability to pick and place seating materials, from metal and plastic, to foam and leather. "AI is unlocking the potential for automation to scale much faster, because it gives it an intelligence level that we never had access to before," he told The News. Forvia is studying the prospect of lights-out manufacturing in the long term. Durkee said even with rapid AI advancement, such a change would take time, and involve tweaking the designs of parts and sub-assemblies themselves to more easily be assembled by robots. Auto companies invested more than $100 billion in AI across their operations in the past five years, and those investments are surging, said a recent report by consulting firm PwC. In addition to product-centered uses for AI, automakers and suppliers are pouring those investments into AI-powered quality inspection products and other areas where AI can help factories run more efficiently. The next phase of investment: More AI-powered robots on the factory floor, said C.J. Finn, PwC U.S. automotive industry leader and one of the report's authors. Still, he noted that transition to smart robots won't happen overnight, nor will the emergence of fully dark auto factories. 'Can't compete' without automation. Many Chinese auto plants are built from the ground up, allowing them to be designed with automation in mind. Strong demand among Chinese consumers for electric vehicles that are less complex and have fewer parts also means assembly is easier and is more conducive to robotic work. China's robot installations surged in recent years: In 2024, more than half of industrial robots worldwide were installed in the country. Older existing U.S.-based plants, meanwhile, often aren't as optimized for automation. U.S consumers also haven't shown the same appetite for EVs. Still, it's a safe bet that there will be a dark auto factory in the United States within 15 years, Le said: "We can't compete unless we automate our factories." Some question the wisdom in pushing for fully lights-out operation, however. Jeff Burnstein, president of the Ann Arbor-based Association for Advancing Automation, is a prominent advocate for robotics and similar technology. But even he has concerns about the idea of a dark factory future where humans are completely sidelined from auto manufacturing and other industries. "I mean, don't we still want the people?" he said. "I try to think of a world in which you take it to the extreme - there's no people doing anything. How are we going to survive? Who's going to buy your car? Is the government going to give you money to buy your car? And how much are we getting for this universal basic income? I just don't see it. I guess I can't imagine that world."

How Jennifer Moceri uses AI in Google's procurement strategy. September 14, 2026 Jennifer Moceri, VP of Global Procurement & Chief Procurement Officer at Google, is leading the company's aim to create an AI-native sourcing ecosystem Jennifer Moceri, Vice President of Global Procurement & Chief Procurement Officer at Google, has been ranked second place in Procurement Magazine's Top 250 Leaders list. Since graduating from Wayne State University with a Master of Business Administration, Jennifer has worked across a variety of industries, from automotive to food and beverage. With more than 25 years of experience, she leads Google's first central procurement organisation established under its parent company, Alphabet. Alphabet says it aims to durably reengineer its cost base, streamline global supplier operations and create investment capacity for core priorities. Making procurement history at Google. In 2019, Jennifer Moceri made history by building and leading Google's first-ever centralised procurement function. She focuses on enabling revenue growth through AI and machine learning, forming high-performing teams around the company's procurement strategy. In 2021, Google exceeded its goal of spending US$1bn with diverse-owned suppliers, reaching US$1.5bn, then reaching US$2.5bn in 2022. Under Jennifer's leadership, Google has introduced initiatives such as the Google Truck Digital Excellence Programme, which has supported more than 425 diverse-owned business leaders and granted US$750,000 in scholarships. Leaders at the top of the list: * Marcelo Stefani - Executive Vice President and Global Chief Procurement Officer for PepsiCo * Jennifer Moceri - Vice President of Global Procurement & Chief Procurement Officer at Google * Klaus Staubitzer - Chief Procurement Officer and Head of Supply Chain at Siemens AG * Jim Connell - Chief Procurement Officer and Head of Global Supplier Services at JPMorgan Chase * Karsten Shcnake - Member of the Board of Management for Procurement at Volkswagen Group Leading procurement across industries. Jennifer's professional career started in the automotive industry, holding a variety of roles across procurement and supply chain at companies such as BorgWarner, ZF Group Automotive and Lear Corporation. During her time with Lear Corporation, Jennifer progressed through a list of senior roles before earning the position of Vice President of Global Purchasing in E-Systems. Then, Jennifer transitioned to food and beverage, acting as Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer at Tate & Lyle. Here, she successfully led a global procurement initiative to develop a new operating model to reduce the company's costs significantly. Prior to her latest role at Google, Jennifer served as Chief Procurement Officer at Diageo, helping to knit procurement into the company's business strategies. My mission is to break the mold of traditional operations by creating an agentic, AI-native ecosystem Jennifer Moceri, VP of Global Procurement & Chief Procurement Officer at Google Strategising sourcing around AI. Jennifer is building Google's procurement functions by leveraging AI and machine learning to create an AI-native sourcing ecosystem. Her team acts as a real world testing hub for Google's own technology, aiming to deliver sustainable value. Following Google's I/O event, Jennifer's sector directly integrated Gemini 3.5 Flash to support its staff. She says that only one GPO team member was using Google's AI coding tool in March 2026. By June 2026, around 25% of the non-technical procurement team at Google was using the AI system to build solutions. Key companies. Headquarters: California, US CEO: Sundar Pichai Founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google LLC has evolved from a web search engine into a global technology powerhouse. Under the leadership of CEO Sundar Pichai, the Mountain View-based company operates as the core subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. Headquarters: London, United Kingdom CEO: Sir Dave Lewis Formed in 1997 through the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan, Diageo plc has grown into a world leader in premium beverage alcohol. The multinational firm controls an expansive portfolio of globally recognized brands, including Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Guinness, Baileys and Tanqueray Headquarters: London, United Kingdom CEO: Nick Hampton Tate & Lyle PLC has transformed into a specialised global provider of food and beverage ingredients. The company develops texturants, sweeteners and dietary fibres that help manufacturers reduce sugar, calories and fat in packaged goods worldwide, advancing global food formulation through strategic research partnerships. Company Portals