Thinking Smarter: Why AI Governance Matters More Than Ever for the Wire and Cable Industry

Artificial intelligence is quietly weaving its way into the wire and cable sector. Some businesses are already experimenting with automated inspections, predictive maintenance, instant tender drafting and forecasting tools. Others are watching from the sidelines, curious but cautious.

The real question is this: what happens if AI adoption races ahead of the guardrails that keep our industry safe?

We have lived through rapid transitions before. The rise of digitalisation, the shift to smarter factories, and the expansion of connected systems all brought enormous benefits but also exposed new vulnerabilities. AI has the potential to accelerate progress even further, but it can also introduce risks that are harder to see. When you automate a decision, you must be absolutely certain you understand how that decision was formed and whether it can be trusted.

Right now, many companies do not realise they are already drifting into what people call “shadow AI”. Staff use AI tools informally without approval. Sensitive information is copied into public models. Automated text is pasted into customer emails and documentation without oversight. Forecasting models are used even though no one knows what data sits behind them. All of this creates the impression of quick progress while quietly hiding potential issues underneath.

And anyone who works with email can already tell when AI has had a hand in writing something. People suddenly develop a dramatic love for the long dash — the punctuation mark that arrives as if announcing itself with a trumpet — and begin messages with lines like “I hope this email finds you well” even when they’ve spoken to you three times that morning. Whatever happened to simply saying “How are you?” or “Hope you’re okay”? Or beginning an email like a human instead of a Victorian pen pal? AI has a strange way of making everything sound polished, polite, and eerily generic. It’s helpful. Until it isn’t.

These small signs are a reminder of a bigger point. AI is powerful, but only when it supports good judgment. It should not replace accountability, and it absolutely should not replace compliance. In an industry where product integrity, safety, and traceability matter, relying on AI without structure is a risk that can ripple far beyond one decision.

The goal is not to fear AI. Our sector stands to gain enormously from using it well. Smarter production, safer sites, more reliable supply chain planning, reduced downtime, leaner processes. These are all realistic outcomes. But they only appear when AI is used responsibly.

How businesses in the wire and cable industry can increase AI governance:
• Create an internal AI policy that clearly sets out what AI tools can and cannot be used for
• Keep a register of all AI tools used in the company, whether officially approved or informally adopted
• Ensure human review and sign-off for any AI-generated decision that affects safety, compliance, customer commitments or regulatory requirements
• Train staff on how to interpret AI output critically rather than accepting answers at face value
• Set rules for how sensitive data, customer information or intellectual property can be used in AI tools
• Request transparency from suppliers about how they use AI in forecasting, quality control or documentation
• Build simple checklists that teams can follow before relying on an AI-generated suggestion
• Update cyber policies so they also cover risks linked to AI, such as data leakage or unintended sharing
• Review AI-assisted content before it reaches customers, particularly in certifications, technical documents or marketing material
• Appoint a responsible person or small committee to oversee AI activity across the organisation

These are not heavy or bureaucratic steps. They simply make the invisible visible.

The wire and cable industry has always thrived by balancing innovation with reliability. This is no different. If the world is to trust the infrastructure and connectivity we deliver, we must also trust the digital tools that increasingly support our operations. AI can strengthen the sector, but only when deployed with purpose and clarity.

So here is the question worth asking: what if thoughtful AI governance became one of our industry’s greatest strategic advantages? And why not put the guardrails in place now, before the dramatic long dashes, overly polite emails and mysterious machine-made decisions start steering the ship more than we realise?

Because AI will reward those who approach it with discipline and curiosity. Everyone else may soon find their inbox filling with identical greetings from identical emails that all sound suspiciously like the same robot. And nobody wants that.

For transparency, this article was assisted by AI… But the humour is human.