How a veteran found a new mission through AI manufacturing at Georgia Tech
By advancing manufacturing and building the workforce, Georgia Tech is helping to keep the U.S. competitive.
Michael Trigger, an Air Force veteran, gained new skills in AI and manufacturing while interning at Georgia Tech’s Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility. Photo credit: Rob Felt, Georgia Institute of Technology
Air Force veteran Michael Trigger discovered a new career path thanks to Georgia Tech. After driving a truck for several years, he was ready for a change.
Trigger enrolled in an AI in manufacturing course at the Veterans Education Career Transition Resource Center (VECTR) in Warner Robins, Georgia. With support from the Georgia Tech-led Georgia Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing program, the center trains veterans in industry-standard robotics using cutting-edge AI manufacturing technologies.
“To stay competitive, you have to keep learning; if you don’t, you turn into a dinosaur and become extinct,” Trigger said. “That’s the advice I give to my kids, to my grandson — and to myself.”
The course took Trigger to the Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility (AMPF), housed in Georgia Tech’s Manufacturing Institute, where he learned about opportunities in AI manufacturing. Through that exposure, Trigger applied and was selected for an internship that would change his life.
“One thing the military teaches you is that it’s all about the mission,” Trigger said. “So, whenever I go somewhere, that’s the first thing I try to understand.”
For Trigger, AMPF’s mission is about bridging the gap between research that happens in the lab and getting technology out into the world so society benefits.
Georgia Tech’s Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility. Photo credit: Georgia Institute of Technology
“When the AMPF staff trained us on manufacturing technologies, they also helped us understand the real-world applications,” he explained. “Once you learn these skills, you can take them back to your community and teach others if you choose to do that. I’ve learned lifelong skills no one can take away from me.”
For Georgia Tech, an important part of bridging the gap between research and society is training Georgians like Michael.
Helping people launch new careers is one way Georgia Tech is strengthening U.S. manufacturing and building the workforce of the future. Since 2022, its programs have supported every stage of the talent pipeline — from providing space for companies to test AI automation to training and upskilling workers. Collectively, these efforts have led to a larger, stronger network of manufacturers other companies and the U.S. government can rely on.
Today, Trigger is applying what he’s learned about AI manufacturing to innovation in the business sector.
“AI in manufacturing is all about improving processes and making us more efficient and productive,” he concluded. “I plan to apply these lessons when starting my own small business.”
Research for Real Life
Stories like Michael’s unfold every day at Georgia Tech. Our research tackles today’s most complex challenges — and people are at the center of everything we do.
Whether discovering cancer treatments or developing new methods to power our communities, we’re improving the human condition. As a world leader in manufacturing and AI, we’re building a resilient workforce and economy in the U.S. and Georgia. At a time when technology changes from one day to the next, our research focuses on keeping Americans safe and secure.
To learn more about the research that makes stories like Michael’s possible, visit us at http://research.gatech.edu/advancing-american-manufacturing.
