BCG’s Daniel Kuepper and Laura Juliano explain why AI is rewriting the economics of where and how the world manufactures.

Daniel Kuepper, who co-leads BCG's Manufacturing and Physical AI team, and Laura Juliano, BCG's North America Operations Practice Lead, unpack why the factory of the future is no longer a distant vision. Physical AI, agentic systems, and a shared data backbone are converging to expand what's automatable and changing the math on where companies should manufacture. Do leaders still need to separate where to produce from how to produce?

You'll Learn:

What actually separates a genuine “lights-out factory” from a partially automated one.

The biggest mistakes leaders make when starting an AI-led manufacturing transformation.

How new hires are showing up already fluent in AI, changing what factory training even looks like.

Learn More:

BCG’s Latest Thinking on Manufacturing: https://on.bcg.com/46rlzRT

How the Factory of the Future Is Reshaping the Economics of Manufacturing Competitiveness: https://on.bcg.com/4y7h7DW

How Physical AI Is Reshaping Robotics Today—and What Comes Next: https://on.bcg.com/4rgBawW

The CEO’s Guide to Physical AI: https://on.bcg.com/4AoTg4k

Chapters

(00:00) Is Factory of the Future Here?

(01:20) What Is Different This Time?

(04:19) How Significant Are Recent Shifts?

(04:49) Are Lights-Out Factories Realistic?

(07:54) What Industries Are Leading in Robotics?

(09:09) Where Should Factories Double Down?

(11:58) Physical AI's Impact on Companies

(14:55) Leaders’ Costliest Mistakes in Robotics

(18:53) The First-Mover Factory Edge

(21:15) What Should Manufacturing Leaders Do Now?

Meet the Experts

Daniel Kuepper, Managing Director and Senior Partner: https://on.bcg.com/4Am2e27

Laura Juliano, Managing Director and Senior Partner: https://on.bcg.com/4AlXp8Z

Listen to Other Episodes of The So What from BCG podcast

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Bryan Gauch, Leader of BCG’s Commercial Tech Topic, explains why CRM isn’t disappearing even as agentic AI reshapes how customers are served. He argues that CRM will keep serving as the data backbone while agents take over the interface. He also lays out the cost and resourcing questions CEOs need to answer before scaling their AI investment.

You’ll Learn:

Why agents are quietly replacing the screen, not the system, behind every customer interaction.

Why cost is the real constraint on agentic AI, not the technology itself.

How CEOs should align cost, resources, and innovation before deciding what CRM keeps and what agents take over.

Learn More

BCG and Salesforce: https://on.bcg.com/4zTgNKl

BCG’s Latest Thinking on Marketing and Sales: https://on.bcg.com/4zVIMsP

Chapters

(0:00) What Does CRM Actually Do?

(1:29) What CRM Means for Customers

(2:02) Could AI Agents Replace CRM Entirely?

(6:44) The Real Cost of Agents

(8:52) ROI of AI Agents

(10:45) How Will Agents Impact Employees?

(12:55) Where CRM Is Headed in 3 Years

(14:33) How Should CEOs Approach CRM?

(15:53) What Role Will Consultants Play?

Meet the Expert

Bryan Gauch, BCG Managing Director & Partner: https://on.bcg.com/4iI7fLV

Listen to Other Episodes of The So What from BCG podcast

YouTube | https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMJgyXjV5gMI9JV-GcF_D1Y6zyf1Eab_0&si=plXqe7-YNzbG56U8

Apple | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-so-what-from-bcg/id1591194141

Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/2NSVR7qrAyZ4CaGsnknbBk?si=1d846c2af8784923

Other platforms | https://lnk.to/so-what-general-show12

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Vlad Lukic, BCG’s global leader for tech and digital advantage, and Paul Goydan, global leader of BCG’s cost offer, explain why so many companies spend more on AI than they get back. What is the fix? They argue it isn’t simply cutting AI spend, but assigning clear ownership, categorizing costs correctly, and tying every dollar to a business outcome.

You’ll Learn:

Business owners, not IT, should be accountable for AI’s return, like any other investment.

Many companies give routine tasks to their most powerful and expensive AI models, when a simpler tool could do the job.

Instead of focusing on banning unauthorized AI tools, leaders should turn towards educating employees on sanctioned options.

Learn More:

How Leaders Build an AI-First Cost Advantage: https://on.bcg.com/4c3KrSW

Why We Still Need a CIO in the AI-First Era: https://on.bcg.com/46bBbIV

Chapters

0:00 AI's Bottom-Line Problem

1:01 Why Your AI Costs Don't Add Up

2:16 Can Promoting AI Use Promote Waste?

4:02 Are AI Costs an IT Problem?

4:48 How to Prioritize AI Spend

6:18 How Do CEOs Pay for AI?

7:14 How to Categorize AI Costs?

8:02 Who Owns the AI Budget?

8:30 How Leaders Know AI Is Paying Off

10:50 Strategy vs. FOMO

13:49 Turning FOMO Into Action

14:27 Winners in the AI Era

16:28 Handling Hidden AI Risk

18:05 Now What: Next Steps

Listen to Other Episodes of The So What from BCG podcast

YouTube | https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMJgyXjV5gMI9JV-GcF_D1Y6zyf1Eab_0&si=plXqe7-YNzbG56U8

Apple | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-so-what-from-bcg/id1591194141

Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/2NSVR7qrAyZ4CaGsnknbBk?si=1d846c2af8784923

Other platforms | https://lnk.to/so-what-general-show12

Follow BCG

https://www.bcg.com/

LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/boston-consulting-group