Industrial companies, the ones that actually make stuff and keep the economy moving, are worth watching for how they will leverage AI. The industrial AI approach is decidedly practical, grounded in business reality and returns and designed to augment human labor that’s in short supply. You could call it blue collar AI.
After spending a week at IFS Unleashed 2026, this blue collar AI theme is worth watching. Industrial AI is one of the reasons to be optimistic about enterprise AI even as bubble fears dominate AI infrastructure chatter.
Here’s a look at some of the AI themes from industrial companies.