The Indiana Chamber’s recent report outlines the transformative potential of generative AI (GenAI) across the state’s most critical industries—advanced manufacturing, logistics and transportation, life sciences, and agbioscience. Among these, advanced manufacturing and logistics stand out as key areas for both early adoption and long-term economic return.

Advanced manufacturing is leading GenAI adoption in Indiana, with high demand for skills like AI, machine learning, computer vision, and robotics process automation. 84% of manufacturing employers intend to upskill existing workers rather than hire new GenAI talent, reinforcing that workforce development is central to GenAI success.  This people-centric approach—focusing on augmentation rather than replacement—has the potential to boost Indiana’s GDP by as much as $87 billion by 2038, compared to just $14 billion in growth under a cautious, automation-first strategy.

For transportation and logistics, GenAI is emerging more slowly, but backend roles—like freight routing and supply chain optimization—are expected to drive skill demand by mid-2025. Rural regions are key to Indiana’s logistics footprint, with over 35,000 transportation jobs located outside metro areas, highlighting the need for inclusive, regionally accessible AI training programs.

Both sectors—manufacturing and logistics—will need to prepare for a future where GenAI changes not just how tasks are performed, but which tasks exist at all. According to the report, GenAI could affect up to 28% of working hours in manufacturing and 33% in logistics, with the majority of that time related to routine or repetitive tasks.

In manufacturing, roles with the highest potential for automation include general and operations managers, shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks, and industrial machinery mechanics. Conversely, roles with the greatest potential for augmentation include sales representatives, industrial engineers, and mechanical engineers.

For logistics, roles with the highest potential for automation include office and administrative supervisors, office clerks, and general and operations managers. Whereas roles with the greatest potential for augmentation include industrial truck and tractor operators, diesel mechanics, and material handlers.

While automation will take over some responsibilities, GenAI will also augment roles by improving real-time data analysis, enabling more responsive and informed decision-making on the plant floor and in the warehouse.

If you are interested and want to learn more, you can view the full report here.