Nearly every company trying to deploy AI runs into the same wall: integrating the technology into everyday operations. Industrial heavyweight Caterpillar has spent decades solving that exact problem in the physical world, and now it's bringing those lessons to AI deployment.
The company's autonomous push began in mining, where labor shortages and hazardous conditions made automation essential. Today it sells automated haul trucks, drilling rigs, underground loaders, and remote-controlled construction equipment, plus a software command center and fleet management platform.
"Now we're in this super exciting time where we can take all of that learning from mining and bring it into much more dynamic environments — jobsites, quarries, and construction sites," CTO Jaime Mineart told TechCrunch at the Ai4 conference in Las Vegas.
Caterpillar is also deploying AI internally: the Cat AI Assistant lets field technicians use voice commands to pull up repair procedures and troubleshoot problems. The tool draws on 1.6 million connected assets and over 16 petabytes of structured data. The company plans to spend $100 million over five years training its 118,000 employees in AI, autonomy, and robotics.