That’s why adoption of this technology isn’t about replacing people — it’s about giving the existing workforce access to enterprise knowledge so they can perform their tasks safely and with expert efficiency. At Honeywell, we call this Digital Cognition.
Explainable AI (XAI) resolves the mystery of how AI decisions are made
Unlike traditional AI models that operate behind the scenes in a “black box,” the Digital Cognition concept emphasizes the use of Explainable AI (XAI), which provides a reference and explanation as to how the recommendation was made. With this background, recommendations become trusted, easy to understand and based on historical precedent.
Learn more about explainable AI.
Imagine a maintenance technician, just a few years into their career, confidently diagnosing a machine issue by describing symptoms and receiving a response from an AI agent that has searched the enterprise maintenance service records to identify a potential root cause. The response includes a reference to the service records and a recommended set of step-by-step actions that have been used to resolve similar issues.
To do this, Digital Cognition leverages decades of enterprise knowledge and makes the information universally accessible. And with each new action, the enterprise knowledge base becomes even more comprehensive. That’s how Digital Cognition not only empowers the workforce to perform more efficiently, it also expands enterprise knowledge and capabilities in real time.
How XAI builds industrial resilience
The industrial skills gap isn’t just a workforce problem — it’s an operational risk for businesses. According to market research firm IDC, some labor-intensive industries lose 20% to 30% of revenues every year due to inefficiencies. This is where AI can prove invaluable, by helping organizations work smarter, faster and safer.
Take Honeywell’s Field PKS (Process Knowledge System) system as an example of how the Digital Cognition concept can be applied in real world industrial activities. By analyzing historical service records, Field PKS guides workers in solving complex issues that would otherwise require an expert. The issues Field PKS can address range from a board operator making the best decision based on a pattern of alarms to a maintenance technician identifying the root cause of a rotating asset that is cavitating and making a noise. It’s like having the world’s best expert accompany every employee 24/7, helping less seasoned workers perform at their best.
