DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley is drawing a stark dividing line over how artificial intelligence could reshape the American workforce: Some white-collar jobs may disappear, while workers who can repair robots, maintain automated factories and solve complex mechanical problems could become increasingly valuable.
Speaking Wednesday at Ford’s ACCELERATE the Essential Economy conference at Michigan Central in Detroit, Farley singled out finance employees doing spreadsheet-intensive work, call-center workers and entry-level computer programmers as occupations facing disruption from artificial intelligence.
“If you work in finance doing spreadsheets, or you’re in a call center, or you’re an entry-level programmer,” Farley said, those jobs are “definitely going to be changed, eliminated” during what he described as the first inning of AI.
For Michigan, those are not small employment categories.
Michigan has roughly 80,000 customer service representatives, the closest government occupational category to call-center workers, along with roughly 4,000 computer programmers and more than 44,000 software developers, according to federal labor statistics.
Those numbers are not projected job losses. Farley specifically identified entry-level programmers, not all programmers or software developers, and did not predict how many positions would disappear or how quickly.
Thousands Work In These Fields At Ford
The potential impact inside Ford itself could be substantial, although the automaker does not publicly disclose employment totals for the specific occupations Farley identified.
Third-party workforce intelligence firm Unify identified 14,868 Ford professional profiles classified in information technology, 2,233 in finance, 1,372 in accounting and 797 in customer service in its July 2026 workforce snapshot.
Those are not Ford’s official employment totals. Unify says its estimates are based on observed professional profiles and may differ from the company’s actual workforce. The data also do not identify how many are based in Michigan or perform the specific tasks Farley identified.
Ford has not announced that Farley’s comments represent a plan to eliminate those positions.
AI Could Boost Skilled Trades
Farley sees a different future for many skilled-trades workers.
Rather than simply replacing those employees, he expects AI increasingly to become a tool—or “companion”—helping workers diagnose problems, repair complicated machinery and perform work more efficiently.
Ford has more than 10,000 skilled-trades workers in the United States, a substantial share of its roughly 56,000 UAW-represented hourly employees.
Modern skilled-trades employees may repair industrial robots, maintain automated manufacturing systems and troubleshoot sophisticated electronics and equipment used in battery and vehicle production.
Farley said the boundary between manufacturing engineers and skilled-trades employees is becoming increasingly difficult to identify in newer factories.
That trend could accelerate as manufacturers install more robotics, machine vision, AI and automated production systems.
Someone still has to keep those machines running.
Michigan Faces Two AI Job Markets
For Michigan, Farley’s comments highlight two sides of the AI revolution.
Some information-heavy occupations could face disruption as AI performs more routine cognitive work. At the same time, AI could increase the value of workers capable of installing, maintaining and repairing the physical equipment on which automation depends.
That extends beyond automobile factories.
Michigan is attracting investment in data centers, advanced manufacturing, defense technology and battery production—all industries requiring electricians, technicians, HVAC specialists, construction workers and industrial-maintenance employees.
And employers already are struggling to find enough of them.
At Wednesday’s conference, Ford highlighted research from the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades estimating that the country will need to fill about 1.7 million skilled-trades openings annually through 2035.
Training programs are producing only about 55 qualified workers for every 100 workers needed, according to the report. Nearly one-quarter of the skilled-trades workforce is 55 or older, potentially intensifying shortages as workers retire.
“This is an anchor weight down on our economy and a total killer for productivity,” Farley said. “And every American is going to feel it.”
AI Could Become The Mechanic’s Assistant
Ford is already experimenting with AI to help technicians repair increasingly complicated vehicles.
Farley described AI systems that can guide technicians through difficult repairs they may never have performed before.
Instead of requiring every technician to have previous experience with a particular repair, AI can guide an experienced mechanic through an unfamiliar procedure.
The worker doesn’t disappear. The technology gives the worker access to expertise on demand.
That model could eventually spread throughout Michigan manufacturing, particularly among smaller suppliers that cannot afford large engineering staffs but operate increasingly sophisticated equipment.
Farley acknowledged one major obstacle: Workers must trust that AI is helping them rather than monitoring them or preparing to replace them.
“If they don’t trust that the data’s going to be used the right way,” Farley said, workers won’t want to use the technology.
Is Ford Already Changing Its Workforce?
One important question remains unanswered.
Has Ford itself reduced hiring or employment in finance, customer service or entry-level programming because AI can perform some of that work?
Farley did not say.
Ford also has not announced an AI-driven layoff program targeting the occupations its CEO identified. Farley was describing where he believes the labor market is heading—not announcing that thousands of Ford employees are about to lose their jobs.
But his comments carry unusual weight in Michigan.
When the CEO of one of Michigan’s largest employers publicly identifies some white-collar occupations as vulnerable while warning that America cannot find enough skilled workers to maintain increasingly automated factories, the debate moves beyond Silicon Valley speculation.
Michigan workers now face a much more practical question:
If AI transforms or eliminates their jobs, where can they get the skills needed for the jobs that replace them?
MITechNews will examine that question next, including which Michigan colleges, universities, apprenticeship programs and workforce agencies are preparing workers for an increasingly AI-driven economy.
