I agree that artificial intelligence and big data can add a lot of value to any firm's manufacturing process. The advantages are numerous and the technology should be included whenever possible. The main disadvantage here is cost. The cost or initial investment to implement these technologies is more than most small firms can handle. Not only is there a large cost for licensing the software for these technologies, but new employees must be hired to oversee them. Computer scientists, data scientists, and re-training of key managers will all be required to get the most out of the new technology. Thankfully "as technologies continue to improve and are adopted more widely, their costs may decline and place them within the reach or smaller firms (Jacobs