It is not a surprise that some wonder how legacy automaker Ford (F) will put artificial intelligence (AI) to work in its operations. After all, Ford has been aggressively complaining about the lack of old-fashioned labor in its operations with its lack of mechanics. So why would it not wonder about how to cover work of the future as well? We got word of some of Ford’s plans on that front recently, and they might surprise you. Investors were pleasantly surprised enough themselves, and sent Ford stock up nearly 2% in Tuesday afternoon’s trading.
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The good news here is that Ford already has the corporate infrastructure set up to accommodate AI. It currently has a CDAAO, or chief data, AI, and analytics officer, since January 2025. That worthy, Franziska Bell, has held technical roles at several companies before Ford, and was previously recognized as Chief Data Officer of the Year in a separate publication.
Bell has some significant plans, including focusing on delivering business value as well as overall strategy and vision. One of the centerpieces of this effort is the establishment of “human-machine teams,” in which AI offers useful tools like data analysis and simulations, along with automating certain “repetitive tasks.”
More Than Just Trade Schools
Yet Ford will also need manual, skilled labor going forward, and has been sounding alarms on that front for some time now. Calls for more trade schools are certainly worthwhile, and viable on the surface. But there is more going on here that needs to be addressed, as some reports point out.
One of the biggest points is that “…something must draw Americans in first.” Essentially, some believe the key reason why we do not have enough mechanics is a cultural issue in which blue-collar workers are regarded as “less than” their white-collar counterparts. And on a certain level, this makes sense. Look at modern fiction; the stories are about CEOs and business leaders, not about the diesel mechanic or the HVAC guy, unless he happens to be a secret serial killer in that story.
Is Ford Stock a Good Buy Right Now?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on F stock based on two Buys, nine Holds and one Sell assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 16.76% rally in its share price over the past year, the average F price target of $12.63 per share implies 4.06% downside risk.
