Justin Hatfield, CRL, CMRP
Emerging Technologies Committee Chair
and Marketing & Industry Awareness Committee Member
HECO
Artificial intelligence is one of the most talked about technologies in industry right now, but how much of it is actually being used inside EASA member companies? To better understand this, the Emerging Technologies Committee recently surveyed the membership about AI adoption in service centers.
The results show that while there is growing interest in AI, adoption across service centers is still in the early stages. Forty six percent of respondents reported they are not currently using AI tools in their facility. Another 21% said they are testing or evaluating tools in a pilot phase, while 25% reported moderate use in certain departments. Only 7% indicated significant use, and just 1% reported company-wide integration into daily workflows.
Among companies already using AI, most applications are happening on the office side of the business. The most common uses reported were writing emails and internal communications (50%), customer communication and documentation (37%), marketing content (34%) and quoting or proposal generation (31%). These types of tasks often involve repetitive writing and documentation, making them a natural starting point for AI-assisted productivity.
When members were asked where they see the greatest potential benefit from AI, the responses followed a similar pattern, with communication, documentation and proposal preparation ranking highest. Technical applications such as predictive maintenance analysis or winding design support were identified less frequently, suggesting that most companies currently view AI primarily as a tool to improve administrative efficiency.
The survey also highlighted several concerns around AI implementation. Sixty percent of respondents cited the risk of inaccurate or misleading outputs as their biggest concern. Another 43% pointed to protecting confidential company or customer data, while 40% said their organization lacks the in-house expertise needed to implement AI tools effectively.
Members were also asked how they view AI’s role in the industry over the next three to five years. Thirty percent believe AI will become strategically important for competitive advantage and innovation, while 27% see it primarily as a tool for administrative and documentation tasks.
One other notable takeaway was awareness of EASA’s own AI assistant, Eddy. Thirty eight percent of respondents reported that they have used Eddy, while 62% said they have not yet tried it. If you haven’t used Eddy yet, I encourage you to explore it as it’s already included as part of your EASA membership.
For the Emerging Technologies Committee, the value of this survey goes beyond measuring adoption. The results help us better understand where members are today and will guide future efforts. As members continue exploring these tools, the committee will work to ensure EASA remains a practical resource as the technology continues to evolve.
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