Ford Revives 'Gray Beard' Engineering Team to Boost Vehicle Quality
Ford executives said the automaker expanded its engineering workforce after finding that AI systems required more experienced engineering knowledge to improve vehicle quality.
Ford has hired, promoted, or brought back more than 350 experienced engineers after concluding that artificial intelligence alone was not enough to improve vehicle quality, according to a Bloomberg report published on June 25, 2026.
The report cited comments made by Ford executives during a media briefing following the release of the 2026 J.D. Power U.S. Initial Quality Study, where Ford ranked first among mass-market brands.
"Artificial intelligence is a fantastic tool, but it's only as good as the information you use to train it," Charles Poon, Vice President of Vehicle Hardware Engineering at Ford, said during the media briefing. "Mistakenly, we thought that by just introducing artificial intelligence and ingesting the design requirements that we had, that would produce a high-quality product."
AI was not Enough
According to Bloomberg, Ford increased its investment in experienced engineering talent after finding that AI systems depended on the quality of the engineering knowledge used to develop and train them. The report said the expanded workforce includes returning Ford employees, newly hired specialists, and internally promoted engineers.
Poon said many experienced engineers had left Ford before their expertise could be incorporated into the company's AI and automated quality systems. He said the additional engineers now mentor younger employees, lead engineering reviews, and help strengthen the data and processes that support AI-assisted vehicle development.
Bloomberg also reported that Ford has reorganized its product development process by bringing engineering, manufacturing, software, and supply chain teams together earlier to identify quality issues before production. The company said the changes are part of a broader effort to improve quality across its vehicle lineup.
"We're moving from that find-and-fix mentality to preventing issues before they occur," Kumar Galhotra, Chief Operating Officer at Ford, said during the briefing, according to Bloomberg. "We're focused on enablers and early indicators versus outputs. Stop admiring the problem and start solving it."
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Key Takeaways
- Ford expands engineering team by over 350 to enhance vehicle quality beyond AI capabilities.
- Recognizes AI's limitations, relying on experienced engineers for improved quality control.
- Reorganizes product development to address quality issues earlier in the manufacturing process.
- Experienced engineers now mentor younger staff and strengthen AI training data.
- Ford ranks first among mass-market brands in J.D. Power's 2026 Initial Quality Study.