Rajesh Ramachandran, ABB Global Chief Digital Officer on AI
ABB Global Chief Digital Officer Rajesh Ramachandran explains how combining predictive AI with IoT drives real-world industrial ROI beyond pilot purgatory

TL;DR
- Combining predictive AI with IoT is essential for driving real-world industrial ROI and achieving measurable outcomes.
- Industrial AIoT requires a platform approach that integrates technology, data, domain expertise, and people from the outset.
- ROI in industrial operations should be measured by improvements in uptime, yield, safety, energy efficiency, and profitability, not just model accuracy.
- Predictive maintenance, asset reliability, and energy efficiency are key areas where AIoT is currently delivering the highest immediate ROI.
- The evolution of AI in industry is moving from prediction towards prescriptive analytics, causal analysis, and digital twins for better decision-making and risk mitigation.
- Generative and agentic AI are expected to further magnify the value of predictive AI and aid in scaling adoption and impact.