Today marks the official launch of The Open Copilot Association (OCA), a pioneering organization dedicated to driving the standardization and adoption of AI copilots.
The Ongoing Rush For Companies To Deploy AI Copilots Is Creating A Disconnect In The Manufacturing And Industrial Sectors
When every supplier builds their copilot differently, adoption becomes inefficient and unsustainable. Industrial sites must then validate numerous platforms and train workers on each one—adding complexity and cost. This fragmentation forces sites to develop their own copilots independently, resulting in redundant efforts to capture and organize identical expertise.
The OCA addresses this challenge by bringing together equipment OEMs, industrial sites, service organizations, and industry experts to standardize how AI copilots are built, deployed, and used—streamlining the way expertise is captured, shared, and scaled across the industry.
“At the Port of Tilbury, we manage over 500 assets across our site. With more than 75% of our technical workforce coming from external industries, we need a scalable and sustainable way to help them perform effectively in their roles. AI Copilots offer the ideal solution, but with hundreds of suppliers, deploying and maintaining separate systems for each would be unmanageable. We see the Open Copilot Association (OCA) as the answer. By subscribing to OCA-compliant Copilots from various vendors, our workers can access deep supplier expertise through a single, unified app. We validate one platform, train our teams once, and instantly benefit from the collective knowledge of our supplier network,” says Robin Challacombe, Head of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at Port of Tilbury. “One of our suppliers, Xylem, is already providing OCA-Compliant Copilots for its Flygt Concertor pumps. In under 10 minutes, we were able to subscribe to Xylem’s deep organizational expertise and have it immediately in the hands of our workers.”
The Open Copilot Association Has Launched Its First Working Group Focused On Hydraulic Machinery
“As a founding sponsor of the OCA, Hydraulic Institute is passionate about empowering our members to harness the transformative power of AI to upskill workers and improve equipment efficiency,” said Michael Michaud, Executive Director of Hydraulic Institute. “By laying the groundwork for an open and standardized approach to AI copilot adoption, Hydraulic Institute and the OCA are driving innovation and promoting reliability, efficiency, and interoperability across industrial environments.”