Daren Fields , Co-Founder & CEO, of Virtual Select and Sanjay Kalluvilayil explore the future of manufacturing. Augmenting humans with AI, robots, and specialized systems to improve quality and costs.

Daren explains why the hype cycle is fading, why manufacturers want autonomy without turning into AI agent builders, and why “AI touches everything, but it doesn’t fix anything” without humans in the loop.

From shop floor digitization to defect prevention and commercialization, this episode is a practical roadmap for modernizing manufacturing with augmented intelligence.

Key Insights

1. Reinvent - Modernize Manufacturing with Augmented Intelligence

- Treat AI as augmentation for shop floor teams, not a replacement for them

- Combine carbon-based workers with silicon-based systems to reduce defects, scrap, and recalls

2. Experiment - Build Autonomy without Becoming a Software Company

- Find the Goldilocks approach: hyper-personalized systems for your operation, managed by the right partner

s- Start with data capture and visibility, then layer predictive ML and AI agents to catch problems before they become costly failures

3. Execute - Focus on Outcomes, Trust, and Value Architecture

- Use AI to speed research, preparation, and decision-making, but keep humans accountable for judgment and final decisions

- Measure success by real value created: quality, uptime, throughput, and de-risked execution, not buzzwords or tool hype

The AI Space Podcast — Season 2 | Episode 5 | Trailer🎙️ Guest: Daren Fields | Co-Founder & CEO | Virtual Select🎙️ Host: Sanjay Kalluvilayil | Founder & CEO | Stonehaas Advisors | Creator | The AI Space Podcast🔔 Subscribe - Game-changing real world insights for AI Founders & Start-ups!Chapters00:00 Trailer01:33 Welcome and Introductions02:31 Key Trends in AI04:40 Top AI Strategies to Grow & Scale06:30 Surprising 2025 Insight!07:31 Daren's AI Journey10:23 Apex 8 Book20:50 Target Segments and Use Cases27:24 AI-ML Architecture & Tech Stack39:18 Why The AI Space Podcast?44:34 Subscribe & Follow Us45:05 Vision, Mindset, & Strategy46:34 Sales & Marketing Insights48:10 Streamline & Scale Operations51:34 AI Democratization55:38 Ethical & Responsible AI1:00:28 Final Thoughts & Encouragement1:04:32 Outro1:05:40 Subscribe & Follow UsKey Links: 🌐 https://theaispacepodcast.ai📅 https://calendly.com/sanjay-stonehaasadvisors/ai-advantage-15-min