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I’m Sorry, Dave: The Rise of AI in Print and Packaging

There is a wave of innovation in print and packaging equipment and workflow systems that are beginning to implement artificial intelligence, not just within an individual system but across complete supply chains between different systems, processes, and even extending to semi-autonomous labor. David Zwang rounds up the current state of the art.

Tuesday, March 01, 2022

We have all read about or seen lots of sci-fi stories in our lifetime. While they are fascinating and capture the imagination, they have always seemed somewhat detached from our day-to-day lives. Although lately we have begun to have many “real life” artificial intelligence interactions, either directly or indirectly.

Many of our personal IA (intelligent assistant) tools like mobile phones, pads, and computers are getting smarter a little bit at a time. With each software release, Siri and Alexa seem to become more aware of our routines and make suggestions that anticipate our next move. I was on a FaceTime call the other day and noticed that the camera on my iPad was following me as I moved around the visible area.

The main difference between IA and AI is that the former is designed to work with humans while AI is designed to allow systems to work autonomously. While I have yet to hear “I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that,” we seem to be getting closer to that reality.


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About David Zwang

David Zwang travels around the globe helping companies increase their productivity, margins and market reach. He specializes in production optimization, strategic business planning, market analysis, and related services to companies in the vertical media communications market. Clients have included printers, manufacturers, retailers, publishers, premedia and US Government agencies. He can be reached at [email protected].

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