The AI wave is coming. Cai Youkeng, chairman of New Generation Technology (7750), attended the Success Forum today (5th) and said that AI is not a new technology that suddenly appeared, but has evolved over about 30 years. As computing power continues to improve, everything from machine tool controllers, robotic arms to industrial interconnection software can be introduced into AI applications. He even cited the news that Microsoft issued voluntary layoff notices to about 60,000 employees as an example to remind companies that the AI tsunami is coming and they cannot wait until the impact occurs before they start to respond.
Cai Youkeng pointed out that the new generation takes the machine tool controller as its core product. The controller is like the brain of the machine tool. In the past 30 years, the computing power of the CPU has increased by about 100 times, allowing the controller to accommodate more functions. In addition to speeding up the control speed, it can also digitize the experience of operators, technicians and senior masters, lowering the professional threshold for operating CNC machine tools, which is equivalent to creating "AI digital employees."
The new generation has also extended from controllers to robotic arms and industrial interconnection software. In recent years, digital twins and AI technologies have been further introduced. Cai Youkeng pointed out that robots are not a new product. Industrial robots have a history of about 50 years. As computing power increases, robot perception and decision-making capabilities continue to improve. In the future, factories will develop towards human-machine collaboration. When the cost of robots is lower than the cost of labor, tasks with clear rules, quantification and standardization will gradually be replaced by machines.
He also observed that AI will not only change the manufacturing site, but will also reshape corporate management. Through industrial Internet software, cross-department, cross-factory and even cross-border factory information can be integrated, allowing dispersed teams to operate collaboratively, and further assist management in decision-making from information collection.
Tsai Youkeng took Microsoft as an example and pointed out that Microsoft recently issued voluntary retirement notices to about 60,000 employees, accounting for about a quarter of its 240,000 employees, covering positions such as engineers, AI departments, and senior managers. He believes that this does not mean that the company is not operating well, but that the company is re-examining the talent and organizational configuration required in the future to reflect the changes in human demand in the AI era.
He bluntly said that companies should treat AI as a tsunami. The water will recede before the tsunami comes, and companies should make early adjustments when they see the signs. In particular, the entry-level work with clear specifications and just writing programs according to the established structure has been easily replaced by AI. In comparison, the ability to define problems, structure planning, judgment and decision-making, and cross-team cooperation will be even more important.
Cai Youkeng also reminded that AI is not just a matter for the technology industry. Regardless of whether a company's products are directly related to AI, it should consider how to introduce AI into products, operational processes and employee work. Faced with the changing demand for talents in the AI era, he also called on university education to not only focus on professional knowledge, but also to cultivate cross-field learning, critical thinking and teamwork capabilities. Xindai has long supported industry-university cooperation at Cheng Kung University and invests approximately 1 million yuan each year to sponsor the implementation of special topics in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, hoping to allow students to get in touch with the industry early and take into account both professionalism and quality.
