Innovating the Future of Industrial AI
By: Venu Gopal
Conference Manager, Nxt AI 2026
11/28/2025
As Artificial Intelligence reshapes manufacturing and industrial systems worldwide, pioneers like Dr. Jay Lee are forging the next frontier building scalable AI frameworks that transform factories into intelligent, self-aware ecosystems.
Leaders Like Lee Engineer the AI-Powered Factory of Tomorrow
Dr. Lee is the Clark Distinguished Chair Professor and Director of the Industrial AI Center at the University of Maryland, leading major initiatives to advance data-driven industrial systems. He oversees the Data Foundry, a repository of 100+ real industrial datasets used to build and validate Industrial AI at scale.
He previously founded and led the NSF I/UCRC Intelligent Maintenance Systems Center at the University of Cincinnati, partnering with 100+ global companies and earning NSF recognition as the nation’s most economically impactful center. His mentorship produced the startup Predictronics through NSF iCorps.
From 2019–2021, he served as Vice Chairman at Foxconn, guiding the Wisconsin Science Park and contributing to six WEF Lighthouse Factory Awards.
A fellow of ASME, SME, ISEAM, and PHM Society, Dr. Lee is recognized among SME’s top visionaries in smart manufacturing. Author of Industrial AI (Springer, 2020) and Editor-in-Chief of Machine Learning: Engineering, he is ranked in Stanford’s Top 2% of world scientists. He currently leads the “AI Factory” initiative to train next-generation Industrial AI engineers.