Industrial AI: From Pilot to Profit

Meet Boris Scharinger and explore the real-world journey of AI in industry. Why expectations must meet reality for true transformation.
Our guest is Boris Scharinger from Siemens. He wrote an interesting book "Industrial AI: From Pilot to Profit" and in this episode, we sit down with him. He is a leading voice in industrial AI and we uncover what it really takes to move from flashy AI pilots to solutions that deliver real value on the shop floor and in product engineering. We dig into the challenges of bridging proof-of-concept and production, the unique demands of industrial environments, and why so many initiatives stall before reaching profitability. Our conversation cuts through the hype, sharing candid examples from Siemens Energy and Tesla to illustrate where AI is truly changing the game and where it’s still hitting walls.

We also tackle pressing topics like the impact of generative AI on management expectations, the evolving role of process mining, and the tough realities of deploying AI in brownfield versus greenfield environments. If you’re a startup, engineer, or decision-maker looking to understand the real mechanics—and pitfalls—of industrial AI, this episode is your inside track. Join us as we set the record straight on what it takes to turn AI ambition into sustainable success.

Order the book here (hanser-fachbuch.de/Industrial-AI-from-Pilot-to…)

Siemens Energy

siemens-energy.com/global/en.html

Tesla Giga Press

tesla.com/blog/gigapress

Process Mining

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_mining

Will van der Aalst

vdaalst.com

Google: Hidden Technical Debt in Machine Learning Systems

papers.nips.cc/paper/2015/hash/86df7dcfd896fca…