That's a really insightful question about the future of industrial maintenance! Based on what I've learned about AI-PLC integration, here's how I see things evolving:

First to become autonomous will likely be routine monitoring and predictive maintenance tasks. AI-powered PLC systems can already analyze sensor data in real-time to detect anomalies, predict equipment failures before they happen, and even schedule maintenance automatically. Things like vibration analysis, temperature monitoring, and performance trend tracking will become fully hands-off.

I also see automated diagnostics becoming autonomous - AI can quickly identify patterns in fault codes and suggest specific fixes. Even some basic troubleshooting and parameter optimization could run without human oversight once the AI learns your specific system's normal operating patterns.

However, there are areas that will always need human judgment. Complex system-wide decisions that involve safety considerations, major equipment overhauls, and situations requiring creative problem-solving will still require human expertise. When multiple systems interact in unexpected ways or when you're dealing with novel failures that the AI hasn't encountered before, human intuition and experience become irreplaceable.

Also, strategic decisions about maintenance priorities when resources are limited, ethical considerations around safety protocols, and interpreting ambiguous sensor data in context will likely remain human domains. The AI might flag an issue, but understanding whether it's truly critical or just a sensor glitch often requires that human touch.

What's your experience been with PLC systems? Are you seeing these changes happening in your industry yet?