Dark Factories Ship Slop: Scale Human + AI Craft with Lights On

Organizations are racing to scale AI output through automation, but without visibility and control, that speed becomes a dark factory: more throughput at the cost of quality, context, and product differentiation. In this talk, we will show how teams can move faster without losing their competitive edge by scaling craft instead of slop. Borrowing from lights-on manufacturing, we will introduce a model for human + AI work with a shared floor, communication channels, andon-style interruptions, parallel shifts, and a dial for earned autonomy. You’ll leave with a practical understanding of how company brain, deep app integrations, agent orchestration, shifts, automations, and AI-powered improvement can accelerate output while preserving control, quality, and the human advantage.