Apple Supplier Foxconn Replaces Workers with Smart Robots

Foxconn is spearheading a revolution in assembly line operations by integrating generative artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, signaling a future where low-wage labor may no longer be necessary. On Wednesday, tech outlet 9to5Mac, citing The Register, reported that Foxconn has automated 80% of its equipment setup tasks using AI tools, completing them faster than humans.

Foxconn Chairman Young Liu stated that AI and robots cannot fully replace human labor but have substantially contributed to boosting productivity. However, this transformation could negatively affect countries dependent on low-wage workforces.

Foxconn is currently developing FoxBrain, a manufacturing-focused AI system based on Meta’s LLaMA 3 and 4 models, with plans to release it as open-source software.

Meanwhile, Foxconn still produces the majority of iPhones in China, although Apple has been expanding its manufacturing footprint to countries like India, Vietnam, and Brazil. With AI-powered automation becoming more feasible, analysts predict Apple could shift production to higher-cost regions.

However, China is unlikely to take such shifts lightly, and replicating the scale and efficiency of China’s manufacturing ecosystem in other countries remains a major challenge.