A Weavix survey revealed that nearly three-quarters of workers are comfortable with AI-powered tools, yet still communicate via decades-old two-way radios.
WICHITA, Kan.—A new survey from Weavix is reported to reveal that frontline manufacturing workers are ready and waiting for AI but lack the tools to take advantage of the technology. Weavix is the creator of an advanced engagement and communications system that leverages the power of AI for frontline workers. The company serves customers across the manufacturing, construction, and hospitality industries.
The inaugural Weavix 2025 State of Frontline Communications survey polled 300 U.S. frontline manufacturing workers on their attitudes toward AI, communication technology, and workplace engagement.
“The results indicate the barrier to adoption isn’t the frontline workforce but the outdated communication equipment,” the company stated in a release from highlighting the results of its survey.
According to Weavix, its survey found overwhelming worker acceptance of AI, highlighting that they see practical applications for it on the manufacturing floor. Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of workers said they are comfortable with the use of AI-powered tools in the workplace. Additionally, 87 percent stated they are comfortable with technology systems’ collection of work data for safety and efficiency purposes.
“When asked about AI-powered real-time language translation between workers who speak different languages, 78 percent said it would be somewhat to extremely valuable,” the release stated. “In addition, 84 percent believe technology could help solve communication problems in their workplace.”
Weavix stated that “while relatively few workers expressed concern about AI adoption overall, job security was the primary worry” among those who reported concern about its adoption (32 percent). This suggests that hesitation “stems from economic anxiety rather than technological resistance,” the company said in the release.
“There’s a persistent assumption that frontline workers aren’t ready for advanced technology, but our data proves the opposite,” said Kevin Turpin, CEO and founder of Weavix, in the release. “Workers are comfortable with AI and data collection, but their leaders have hamstrung them with prehistoric communication devices or nothing at all, wasting time and creating risks. Heading into 2026, frontline workers feel safer and more engaged than ever. The only question is whether manufacturers can meet their needs in the moment.”
A drain on productivity
Despite worker readiness for advanced technology, 67 percent are reported to still rely primarily on outdated two-way radios for communication. The cost of this infrastructure gap is staggering, according to Weavix.
“The survey reveals that 53 percent of manufacturing workers lose at least 5 percent of their workday, or roughly 24 minutes per shift, waiting for safety-critical information or approvals,” the release stated. “Of those experiencing idle time, 63 percent report that it affects their ability to meet production targets. Applied across the 12.7 million U.S. manufacturing workforce, this represents $15.4 billion in direct annual productivity loss at current median wage rates, before accounting for secondary costs like quality defects or safety incidents.”
The smartphone ban tradeoff
The survey found that 64 percent of frontline workers operate under partial or complete smartphone restrictions on the production floor. Although manufacturers often implement policies for safety, security, and focus, they can also remove everyday communication and documentation capabilities—especially when teams need to capture and share information quickly and consistently, the company said.
The results are said to point to an emerging need for a purpose-built, modern industrial device: a dedicated “smart radio” that is as simple to use as a legacy two-way radio, but designed for today’s operational realities. The need, according to Weavix, is to support real-time coordination and controlled information sharing without becoming an added risk on the production floor.
Additional findings
Weavix reported that the survey also revealed several other workforce dynamics that manufacturers should monitor in 2026:
Knowledge transfer at risk: Workers with 20-plus years of experience are the least likely to feel that their feedback reaches decision-makers (29 percent versus 43 percent among mid-career workers). As these long-tenured employees approach retirement, companies may be losing both institutional knowledge and their willingness to share it.
Innovation pipeline blocked: Sixty-two percent of workers reported they have suggested process improvements to management, but only 38 percent feel their ideas or feedback always reach decision-makers.
Workforce optimism remains strong: Despite communication challenges, 81 percent of workers reported being more engaged at work than last year, and 94 percent are optimistic about workplace safety improvements in 2026.
Survey methodology
The Weavix 2025 State of Frontline Communications survey was conducted with Pollfish in November 2025, polling 300 frontline manufacturing workers across U.S. facilities. According to Weavix, respondents represented diverse roles, facility sizes ranging from under 50 to 1,000-plus employees, and industry segments that included automotive, food processing, electronics, chemical, and other manufacturing.
Weavix stated that its mission is to “connect every disconnected worker.”
“Born in the field, not the boardroom, we understand the daily challenges industrial teams face because we’ve lived them,” the company said in the release. “This real-world experience drove us to create Walt—the world’s most advanced frontline engagement and communications system, leveraging the power of AI.”