Curriculum vitae · 25 years of industrial AI
Industrial AI Deployment lead. Deploying AI in industrial plants since the 90s — the last 25 years leading the iLEAN team. Author of Lean Manufacturing 4.0. Strategic advisor to industrial multinationals and private equity funds.
A sample of our work in automotive, aerospace, food and more.
Sebastián J. Brau. Industrial AI Deployment lead, Human-Centric approach
I have spent more than 25 years deploying artificial intelligence in industrial plants, going back to a time when industrial AI was still a futuristic concept. With experience built project by project, we work alongside companies that need to turn AI into real operational impact, without improvisation.
We had worked with European institutions trying to solve it, but we never reached a robust detection system. We didn't have this solved either at the group's North American plants or in Europe, until this project.
The AI engineers of my generation have been deploying systems in factories since the late 90s — when we still wrote in LISP, the language of John McCarthy, the man who coined the term "artificial intelligence".
They were narrow AI systems: each one solved a specific problem. But the fundamentals of a real plant deployment haven't changed since then.
In this documentary the Iniciativa Europea Industria 4.0 filmed at one of my aerospace deployments you'll see — already running on the plant floor: a CNN for computer vision, an AI-powered OCR capturing each part's traceability, a conversational AI assisting operators by voice, and autonomous agents generating evidence packs. It was filmed in 2021. Before the GPT explosion.
Easier to show than to tell. Hit play.
A convolutional neural network detecting defects in the production of aerospace parts in real time, directly on the line.
Automatic capture of nameplates and multi-page delivery notes feeding into the ERP with no human input.
On a tablet, an AI trained on 250 commands guides the operator and records the answers back into the system.
On request from an OEM (Airbus, Boeing…), the agent assembles the full per-part documentation and photo dossier.
If you want to see the deployment end to end, with industrial context and interviews. Produced in 2021.
Talks and interventions on industrial AI and Industry 4.0 since 2012.
International panel discussion with Jay Lee (Univ. of Maryland - USA, world reference in industrial AI) and executives from Grupo Victoria and the ITC.
How to use industrial AI to rebuild the global supply chain so it consumes a fraction of the energy and raw materials it does today.
Live CNN demonstration in front of more than 3,500 professionals at the International Congress on Industry Trends.
International talk hosted by Foro Kaizen at the Tecnológico de Monterrey campus, in front of 1,500+ continuous improvement professionals from Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile.
Talk shared with Daniel Jones (co-creator of the Lean Manufacturing concept) and Rob Ledbetter (industrial executive, Toyota plants in the US).
International talk on Industry 4.0 and digitalisation in front of executives of the Deutsch-Mexikanische Industrie und Handelskammer. Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of the German Bundestag.
Interviews in the United States, Europe and Latin America.
Appearance on the North American network Univision on industrial AI and advanced manufacturing.
Disruptors section: "Industry is absorbing AI at a prodigious speed."
Interview on COPE, one of Spain's main national radio networks.
"We must be prepared for the rise of Industry 4.0 driven by AI."
As Chair of the AI Advisory Board of European Initiative 4.0, I am honored to sign agreements with governments, across both Latin America and the United States, to bring industrial AI in service of the human being into their factories.
Collaboration agreements signed with the governments of each region to drive AI projects for human empowerment in the industrial sector.
Collaboration agreement signed with CENALTEC, the Mexican government's institution for advanced technological training and industrial development.
I have the privilege of dedicating my time to my four great passions: industrial AI systems architecture, European governance, on-the-floor client consulting, and the push for AI that empowers humans rather than replacing them.
300+ AI implementations led personally and thousands under corporate responsibility, across automotive, aerospace, food and pharmaceutical. Clients: Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Airbus, Nestlé, Mars, Bayer and 3M.
Strategic guidance on industrial AI adoption, deployment standards and the role of AI in the human-centric transformation of European industry.
Senior industrial AI deployment advisory for top-market manufacturers, AI labs and private equity institutions. Operating across the US, Europe and Latin America through a network of 150+ first-tier consultants.
International association dedicated to the development and adoption of AI that augments human capability rather than replacing it. Brings together industrial leaders, researchers and policy voices.
The technological evolution of Lean. A practical guide to using technology (AI, Industry 4.0, digital tools) in real Lean projects on the shop floor.
View book
The new category of industrial AI: "why factories with people empowered by AI will win".
Join the waitlistSince the late 90s, trained in Spain's first generation of AI engineers when LISP was still the language of choice. More than 25 years of deploying systems in factories.
Mostly aerospace (OEMs and Tier 1), automotive and food. Deployments cover computer vision, OCR, industrial NLP and multi-agent systems.
iLEAN (ilean.ai), Iniciativa Europea 4.0, AmericanLean.ai and AIForHuman.org. Four complementary lines: industrial deployment, European outreach, US expansion and ethics.
Via the contact form at the bottom of this CV or by email at info@sebastianbrau.com.
Write to us. We read your message and we'll get back to you shortly.
