Business Insider reports that Ford has credited a mix of veteran engineers and updated AI tools for a recent quality improvement. Executives told reporters the automaker had hired, promoted, or brought back about 350 experienced technical specialists who mentored younger staff, led design reviews, and helped improve AI and automated quality tools, according to Business Insider. Charles Poon, Ford's vice president of vehicle hardware engineering, is quoted saying, "Artificial intelligence is a fantastic tool, but it's only as good as information you use to train it." Per the JD Power 2026 U.S. Initial Quality Study released June 25, Ford ranked as the top mass-market brand with a score of 152 PP100, trailing only Porsche (138 PP100) and Genesis (151 PP100) overall. Ford improved by 41 fewer problems per 100 vehicles versus the prior year, the largest year-over-year improvement among mainstream brands.
Ford Fired Its Best Engineers, Let AI Take Over, Then Brought Them Back