Ford 'Mistakenly' Thought It Could Produce 'High Quality' with AI, Now Its Reportedly Rehiring 350 Veteran Engineers: 'Results Were Not Good

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F ) executives said the automaker hired 350 veteran engineers after artificial intelligence and automated quality systems failed to deliver the level of vehicle quality the company wanted, forcing a human reset inside one of America’s largest carmakers.

Ford Brings Back Veteran Engineering Talent The hiring push included some former Ford employees and others who had been working at suppliers.

The goal was to bring back experienced engineers who could spot failure points before parts reached factories, mentor younger workers and improve the AI tools Ford still plans to use. "Mistakenly, we thought that by just introducing artificial intelligence and adjusting the design requirements that we had, that would produce a high-quality product," Ford Vice President of Vehicle Hardware Engineering Charles Poon told reporters, according to The Verge.

Ford Chief Operating Officer Kumar Galhotra said the company had been "relying more and more on automated quality systems," but the results were not good enough, according to Bloomberg.

Quality Gains Help Lower Ford’s Costs The shift has started to show up in Ford’s costs.

CEO Jim Farley told Bloomberg TV last Thursday that the veteran-engineer effort helped reduce warranty and recall costs, "contributing to literally hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars of a tailwind for Ford on cost." The move comes as Ford last week secured the top mass-market spot in J.D.

Power’s 2026 U.S.

Initial Quality Study, the first time it has done so in 16 years.

J.D.

Power said Ford recorded 152 problems per 100 vehicles, improving sharply from the prior year.

The rebound also arrives after years of quality problems.

Ford has led the U.S. industry in recalls this year, though many involved older models.

AI Workforce Comments Add Larger Context The episode is notable because, as reported by Ford Authority in May, Ford has reduced its workforce over time, with more than 5,000 fewer workers than in 2020.

Farley also famously said at the Aspen Ideas Festival in June last year that AI is "going to replace literally half of all white-collar workers in the U.S." Ford reported first-quarter 2026 results on April 29, posting adjusted earnings of 66 cents per share, well above estimates of 19 cents.

Revenue rose 6% year-over-year to $43.3 billion, and Ford raised its full-year adjusted EBIT outlook to $8.5 billion to $10.5 billion.

According to Pro data, Ford’s next earnings report is unconfirmed but projected for July 29.

Edge Rankings show that Ford stock offers Satisfactory Momentum and a favorable Price Trend in the Short, Medium and Long term.

Price Action: Ford stock closed 0.14% higher at $14.13 on Friday, dropping 0.12% to $14.11 in after-hours trading.

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