2026 Symposium – MIT Machine Intelligence for Manufacturing and Operations

May 5, 2026 | Wong Auditorium

Join industry leaders, practitioners, and innovators at the 2026 MIMO Symposium to explore how artificial intelligence and automation are transforming modern operations and elevating workforce impact. This year’s program focuses on real-world outcomes, organizational adoption, and the evolving synergy between humans and intelligent systems.

Session: Finding the R in ROI — Identifying High-Impact Use Cases

Organizations today are overwhelmed with AI possibilities. This session highlights how industry leaders are turning potential into measurable return.

Key discussion topics:

What are the high-impact AI use cases in production that deliver ROI at scale?
What levels of ROI have been achieved, and how were they measured?
Frameworks for identifying value-first applications across functions and industries.

Takeaways:
Participants will learn actionable approaches to prioritize investment, define meaningful metrics, and replicate success across operational domains.

Session: Working with AI — The Evolving Role of the Employee

As AI takes on more complex tasks, the role of people in the workplace continues to adapt. This session examines best practices for embedding humans in AI-driven workflows.

Key discussion topics:

What is the role of a human-in-the-loop in an agentic workflow?
How is AI capturing expertise and upskilling the workforce?
What change management strategies are necessary to support adoption and resilience?

Takeaways:
Attendees will gain insights into designing collaborative work systems, minimizing friction in adoption, and empowering employees with the skills and tools for the future of work.

Session: Physical AI — Transforming Automation

Automation is rapidly changing with the integration of generative AI, robotics, and intelligent control systems. This session explores how “Physical AI” is enabling smarter, more effective automation in production environments.

Key discussion topics:

How has automation evolved with the advent of Gen AI?
What practical use cases exist in production today?
How do these technologies improve the quality of human work and operational outcomes?

Takeaways:
Participants will understand how AI-enabled automation is being applied beyond software, what outcomes organizations are realizing, and how to design systems that amplify human capabilities rather than replace them.