Accelerating Innovation through Gen AI in Manufacturing Companies
- Resource Type
- Audio Presentation/Podcast
- Publish Date
- 10/30/2025
- Author
- Innovation Research Interchange
- Topics
- Innovation, Tools and Techniques, Artificial Intellegence
- Associated Event
- Webinar: Accelerating Innovation through Gen AI in Manufacturing Companies
Presentation with Lou Musante
October 2025
R&D organizations rely on a complex mix of tools to accelerate innovation, from foundational AI platforms to design thinking practices and stage-gate methods like patent mining. Yet adoption of new tools is often uneven, with murky ROI and cultural resistance.
We recently hosted the launch of a groundbreaking research initiative exploring how generative and agentic AI are transforming innovation in manufacturing. Led by IRI, NIST, Catalyst Connection, and Carnegie Mellon University, the webinar brought together experts from industry, academia, and government to share strategies for AI adoption and scaling. If you missed it, stay tuned for more opportunities to engage with the research and join the conversation shaping the future of manufacturing innovation.
Louis A. “Lou” Musante is an Adjunct Faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business and Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, where he teaches corporate entrepreneurship and innovation strategy. He also serves as Director of Growth Services at Catalyst Connection, helping manufacturers accelerate growth through AI and digital transformation. A serial entrepreneur and research architect, Lou began his career at General Tire Research, Arthur D. Little, and NASA before co-founding his first company in 1984. He has since launched six ventures, four still active today, and co-founded Brite Labs, an edtech firm supporting student success. Trained in chemistry and information science, his work focuses on human-centered design, AI, and innovation strategy.