August 2025 Volume 7

OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT

Getting Started: The AI Action Plan Here’s a practical way to implement AI without hiring anyone new or buying enterprise software. • Pick One Bottleneck (e.g., RFQs, email follow-ups, proposal creation) • Gather 5–10 Real Examples (Pull past documents, PDFs, call transcripts, etc.) • Use ChatGPT Team or Copilot (Ask the AI to summarize, draft, or improve the next instance) • Compare Output to Human Work (Edit where needed, but notice what got done faster) • Document the Prompt that Worked (This becomes your internal ‘recipe book’ for repeatability) AI as a Force Multiplier The forging industry runs on grit, heat, and precision. The “heating and beating of metal,” as I’ve been told. Your teams already do hard things well. AI simply lets them do those things faster, especially the parts of work that are manual, repetitive, or reliant on a single expert. This isn’t about chasing shiny objects or replacing people. It’s about using the right tool for the job. AI, when applied with intent, becomes industrial strength.

After starting his career at IBM during the Y2K days, Spencer X Smith has always been an early adopter of new technology so he can better teach others what he’s learned. He’s given over 400 in-person speeches, including presentations at the New York Stock Exchange, Gillette Stadium in Boston, and The Superdome in New Orleans.

Spencer consults on AI and emerging technologies for the world's largest bond manager (PIMCO) and the world's largest law firm (DLA Piper). He's a graduate of the Economics of Blockchain & Digital Assets program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. See Spencer X. Smith’s Keynote Presentation on this topic at the FIA Fall Meeting & Marketing Seminar, November 4-6, 2025 in Louisville, KY. For more details, visit www.forging.org/events.

Stronger Metals.

Smarter Forging. foundationalloy.com. connect@foundationalloy.com

Ditch the melt. Foundation Alloy uses proprietary powder metallurgy and advanced solid-state sintering to make metals with: • Tailored microstructures for better strength • Superior high-temp durability and fatigue resistance • Fast, energy-efficient, near-net-shape manufacturing Shipping samples today - reach out for more information Whether you’re making dies, tools, structural parts, or high-temperature components, we’re producing U.S. manufactured metals designed for performance—not compromise

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FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2025 42