Why would a veteran factory operator help you build the AI that might replace them?

Here's something that might surprise you — veteran factory operators possess tacit knowledge that no sensor can capture. They can hear a machine failing before any warning light goes off, and that kind of intuition is gold. But here’s the thing — according to /u/Spdload, the real challenge isn’t just getting this knowledge into an AI system. It’s why these operators would even want to help you in the first place. After 20+ years on the floor, they’ve seen countless digital projects that promised to make their lives easier, but often ended up making things more complex or threatening their jobs. So, even if you genuinely want to create tools that support them, they’re naturally skeptical. They know the history, and honestly, they’ve got every reason to be cautious. So what does this actually mean for you? Building trust and understanding their perspective is the missing piece in the puzzle. And get this — according to the same source, it’s a big deal in making any tech work in the real world.