Ford's AI Offensive Stumbles: Restart with 350 Previously Laid-off Engineers

Ford has admitted that its AI offensive has caused quality issues. Now, 350 laid-off engineers are set to be brought back. However, this does not mean a farewell to AI.

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Ford has admitted that its AI offensive, which has been underway for several years, has caused quality issues. Now, 350 laid-off engineers are set to be brought back. However, this does not mean a farewell to AI.

The AI offensive of recent years has led to significant quality problems in Ford vehicles. In 2025, the automaker ranked only tenth in a corresponding JD Power ranking, with quality scores below the industry average.

Human Expertise Improves Ford Quality

In the 2026 edition of the annually published JD Power study, Ford catapulted itself to third place, achieving the largest upward leap of all manufacturers, as reported by Bloomberg. What happened?

Ford has chosen a special approach to address its quality issues. Over the past three years, the automaker has brought back a total of 350 experienced engineers who had previously been laid off from Ford itself or from suppliers.

Ford: AI is Only as Good as Its Training

At the same time, Ford acknowledged problems with its AI offensive. While it is a “fantastic tool,” as Ford's vehicle engineering chief Charles Poon explained, it is only as good as the information used for training.

In recent years, Ford has not given the most experienced engineers the attention they deserved. After all, these individuals, referred to by Ford as “graybeards,” have accompanied many product cycles within the company.

High Costs Due to Quality Issues

According to Ford COO Kumar Galhotra, the automaker has increasingly relied on automated quality systems but has not achieved the desired results. The costs associated with quality problems are said to have reached billions, as reported by Bloomberg. The technical specialists have therefore been brought back to identify and rectify the errors.

This does not signify a fundamental departure from AI. The “graybeards” are expected to not only train young employees but also to reprogram the apparently deficient AI tools. According to COO Galhotra, this should enable disruptions to be resolved before they occur on a large scale.

Recall Numbers Expected to Decrease

Despite the quality improvements, Ford remains the automaker with the highest number of recalls in the U.S. For 2026 alone, the company anticipates warranty and material costs amounting to one billion US dollars. However, retraining the AI is expected to ensure that recall numbers for newer vehicles will steadily decline, Galhotra stated.