{"slug": "nissan-s-in-factory-ai-cameras-track-how-factory-workers-bend-walk-and-build", "title": "Nissan's in-factory AI cameras track how factory workers bend, walk, and build cars", "summary": "Nissan Motor Co. has deployed AI-powered cameras at its Canton, Mississippi, assembly plant that monitor how workers bend, walk, and build cars, contributing to about $34 million in safety and health-related savings, according to Victor Taylor, Nissan's divisional vice president of manufacturing for the Americas. The system, which tracks body angles to flag unsafe positions and reduce repetitive strain, is part of Nissan's response to an aging workforce and is slated to expand to its Smyrna, Tennessee, plant after the Canton rollout completes.", "body_md": "In Canton, Mississippi, where Nissan assembles the Altima sedan and the Frontier pickup, there are cameras watching how workers move.\n\nThe automaker says the AI-powered system is saving it millions of dollars — and ensuring that factory workers stay healthy.\n\n\"We're not talking about job elimination,\" Victor Taylor, Nissan's divisional vice president of manufacturing for the Americas, told Business Insider. \"What we're referring to are mundane tasks that are really antiquated for a human being to be performing.\"\n\nNissan is the latest in a string of automobile companies highlighting how AI is changing the way Americans build cars, including [improvements in initial quality](https://www.businessinsider.com/ford-ai-hiring-veteran-engineers-2026-6) and [shorter development times](https://www.businessinsider.com/gm-interview-ai-prototypes-design-cars-2026-6).\n\nBut it is among the few willing to talk openly about how AI is watching its workers.\n\n## AI that fixes how workers bend and twist\n\nChi Amaechi, a Nissan process engineer and former safety engineer who worked on the system's implementation, said the Canton assembly plant has what it calls a \"golden cycle\" for each job.\n\nThe golden cycle represents the standard way a task should be performed, including the sequence for installing vehicle components, the time it should take, and body movements designed to reduce repetitive strain.\n\n\"What it does is it monitors body angles proactively,\" she said while showing Business Insider a virtual demonstration. \"It's basically identifying your joints, so it can identify when a person is bending in a position that's beyond the safety requirement.\"\n\nThe system can detect when an employee bends too far or holds an unsafe position for too long, then flag the potential risk for factory managers. Supervisors and engineers can use that information to coach workers, reallocate tasks, or redesign a workstation.\n\nAmaechi said the technology replaces time-consuming manual observations that can be inconsistent because employees may change their behavior when they know someone is watching.\n\nAccording to Taylor, Nissan initially evaluated the technology to improve manufacturing efficiency and help train new workers. The ergonomic benefits emerged later.\n\n\"We weren't originally looking for that,\" he said of the safety applications. \"It just kind of shown itself as, this is the biggest win.\"\n\nThe technology has also become part of Nissan's response to an aging workforce, Taylor said.\n\n\"We have employees that have been in the plant 20, 30-some odd years, and they want to retire,\" he added. \"You can't replace 20, 30 years of know-how.\"\n\nTaylor said employees were involved early through plant safety committees. He and Amaechi said workers initially worried that the technology could threaten jobs, but became more receptive when Nissan presented it as a safety and training tool. They also described instances in which workers welcomed changes made using the system.\n\nOverall, Taylor said the technology has contributed to about $34 million in safety and health-related savings at Canton.\n\nThe system is deployed only in Canton. Taylor said Nissan plans to complete its rollout there before expanding it to the company's Smyrna, Tennessee, assembly plant and evaluating applications at its powertrain facilities.\n\n## A big turnaround\n\nNissan has had a rough few years, but it is showing early signs of a turnaround.\n\nThe automaker replaced Makoto Uchida with Ivan Espinosa as CEO in April 2025, shortly after [Nissan and Honda abandoned merger talks](https://www.businessinsider.com/nissan-honda-call-off-50-billion-merger-2025-2). Espinosa subsequently introduced a recovery plan centered on [cutting jobs](https://www.businessinsider.com/nissan-cut-20-000-jobs-trump-tariffs-complicate-turnaround-plan-2025-5), reducing manufacturing capacity, and streamlining Nissan's operations.\n\nCanton's assembly line has been affected by some of those cuts: In May, the company canceled its $500 million plan to manufacture electric vehicles at the plant.\n\nOn Monday, Nissan reported its first quarterly net profit in two years, helped by cost reductions and stronger sales in the US and Japan. The automaker said its US sales rose nearly 10% during the quarter and called itself the fastest-growing mainstream brand over the previous 10 months.\n\nThe company calls itself America's \"fastest-growing mainstream\" car brand, per sales.\n\n*Work at Nissan? We want to hear from you. Contact Ben Shimkus at *__bshimkus@insider.com__* or Signal at bshimkus.41. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device.*", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/nissan-s-in-factory-ai-cameras-track-how-factory-workers-bend-walk-and-build", "canonical_source": "https://www.businessinsider.com/nissan-factory-ai-canton-altima-frontier-2026-8", "published_at": "2026-08-09 09:48:01+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-09 12:09:36.842673+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "computer-vision", "ai-products"], "entities": ["Nissan Motor Co.", "Victor Taylor", "Chi Amaechi", "Canton assembly plant", "Smyrna, Tennessee, assembly plant", "Business Insider", "Ivan Espinosa"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/nissan-s-in-factory-ai-cameras-track-how-factory-workers-bend-walk-and-build", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/nissan-s-in-factory-ai-cameras-track-how-factory-workers-bend-walk-and-build.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/nissan-s-in-factory-ai-cameras-track-how-factory-workers-bend-walk-and-build.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/nissan-s-in-factory-ai-cameras-track-how-factory-workers-bend-walk-and-build.jsonld"}}