
Why governance is the new infrastructure for physical AI
The mid-2020s may be remembered as the period when artificial intelligence (AI) ceased to be primarily a screen-based productivity tool and began operating as a physical system in the rea...
Ariki Ono is an industry executive with over 20 years of experience in manufacturing, supply chain management and logistics operations. He has been involved in introducing AI and advanced analytics into manufacturing and SCM environments since the early 2010s, well before today’s surge in generative and embodied AI. He works with manufacturers and supply-chain-intensive organizations to redesign how operating models such as AI, robotics and automation are embedded across factories, warehouses and distribution networks. His focus is on how AI governance shapes accountability, decision rights and human–AI collaboration in physical operations. Based in Japan, he brings a practitioner’s perspective from one of the world’s most labour-constrained manufacturing economies.