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46 I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2026 T H E R I G H T A P P ROAC H BY ST E V E W I L L I A M S, T H E R I G H T A P P ROAC H C O N S U LT I N G I n last month's column, I wrote about how the "founding fathers of quality" would feel about AI. With the Halloween season upon us, I am looking at some cautionary points to consider when implementing AI in our factories. A Genuinely Useful Technology With Genuinely Sharp Edges AI is already inside the PCB fabrication process, whether a shop has formally adopted it or not. Automated optical inspection (AOI) systems have used machine learning for years. CAM and DFM checks are increasingly AI-assisted, and quoting en- gines predict yield before a panel ever sees copper. None of that is inherently frightening; most of it is a genuine improvement over manual methods that were slower and just as fallible in their own ways. But the same properties that make AI powerful in this industry—speed, pattern-matching at scale, and the ability to make decisions faster than a human can Top 5 The Scariest Things About AI in PCB Fabrication