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not treat it like a final authority on your shop. This is one of the reasons I believe AI can fit manufac- turing well when used correctly. In Part 2, I'll provide a fabricator's guide to get- ting started with AI. I-CONNECT007 Sean Patterson is the founder of CrossGen AI. He previ- ously served as COO and CTO at Summit Intercon- nect, held senior multi- site roles at TTM Tech- nologies, and was CRO of Nano Dimension, a former Amazon executive and U.S. Navy Submarine Veteran. Prompt 3: Shift Handoff Cleanup • Context: I manage PCB plant operations and need to hand off critical issues from one shift to the next. • Role: Act like an operations coordinator in a PCB fabrication environment. • Interview: Ask me what jobs, delays, equipment issues, and quality concerns matter most. • Task: Convert my raw notes into a clear shift handoff with priorities, risks, and escalation items. This prompt works because small communication improvements often have bigger operational value than people expect. Prompt 4: Supplier Comparison • Context: I'm comparing two laminate or chemistry suppliers for a PCB fabrication shop. • Role: Act like a supply chain leader who understands PCB plant constraints. • Interview: Ask what attributes matter most to us before evaluating. • Task: Build a comparison table and flag where I still need to verify manufacturer data. This prompt works because it gives supply chain, engineering, and leadership a common starting point without hiding the need for human review. MAY 2026 I I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE 81 That third step matters more than most people realize. If you skip the interview step, people often use AI like a search engine: They throw a question over the wall and hope for something useful. But AI gets much better when it becomes a thought partner. That means it should ask you questions, pull context out of you, and make you think more clearly before it drafts anything. The Rule You Cannot Skip: Verify Everything That Matters AI is useful, not authoritative, and that matters a lot in PCB fabrication. If the output touches IPC criteria, customer requirements, process limits, chemistry targets, equipment settings, acceptance criteria, or anything else that can affect quality, compliance, or yield, you must verify it against the real source. Check the actual standard, customer spec, and your actual process sheet and equip- ment documentation. Use AI to structure your thinking, draft your com- munication, and help you ask better questions. Do