Photo Credit: iStockFord is leaning again on seasoned engineers after concluding that artificial intelligence and automated quality systems were not delivering the level of vehicle quality it wanted.To strengthen quality control, the company has hired 350 veteran engineers — including former Ford employees and workers who had been at suppliers, according to TechCrunch.What happened?Citing Bloomberg, TechCrunch reported that Ford made the move after becoming dissatisfied with the performance of its automated checks. Chief operating officer Kumar Galhotra told reporters the automaker had been "relying more and more on automated quality systems."AdvertisementAdvertisementAs part of that shift, Galhotra said Ford "brought back technical specialists." Their role, he said, is to "hunt for failure points before a part ever reaches the plant floor."Ford is still using AI rather than dropping it entirely. Instead, the rehired "gray beard" engineers are helping coach younger employees and improve the company's AI systems.Ford said warranty and recall costs are dropping, and TechCrunch reported that the automaker recently ranked first among mainstream brands in the latest JD Power Initial Quality Survey.Why does it matter?Stronger quality control could mean fewer defects, fewer trips to the repair shop, and lower ownership costs over time.AdvertisementAdvertisementHigher-quality vehicles can also reduce waste tied to recalls, replacement parts, and repairs — all of which carry financial and environmental costs.AI can help optimize manufacturing and improve logistics. AI tools can also lead to costly mistakes when companies rely on them too heavily. That tension is becoming more visible far beyond the auto industry as companies rush to adopt AI while still learning where human judgment remains essential.What are people saying?Ford vehicle hardware engineering chief Charles Poon put the lesson bluntly: "Mistakenly we thought that by just introducing artificial intelligence and ingesting the design requirements that we had, that that would produce a high-quality product," he said, according to TechCrunch.AdvertisementAdvertisementFord CEO Jim Farley also said the changes are already "contributing to literally hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars of a tailwind for Ford on cost."Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.