Black Lake Technologies Founder Yuxiang Zhou: AI Is Moving Into the Decision Layer of Manufacturing

MACAU, Sept. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Black Lake Technologies Founder and CEO Yuxiang Zhou was invited to attend the Fortune Leaders Forum 2026 in Macau, where he joined the panel "The Leadership Agenda: The Road Ahead" to discuss how AI is reshaping leadership, organizations and industries.

For Zhou, one of the defining questions for leaders in the AI era is no longer simply how to use AI, but how to rethink the relationship between people and AI agents.

At Black Lake, that shift is already taking shape. AI agents are increasingly being used for reasoning, analysis and guidance, while human leaders continue to play a vital role in motivating teams, building trust and creating human connection. Zhou summed up the question this way: "How do you figure out the best ways for leaders and executives to copilot AI?" 

The same transition is also happening on the factory floor.

During the discussion, Zhou looked back on Black Lake's early days, when the company hired former food couriers as salespeople because they knew China's industrial towns and small factories well, and understood how to get close to customers on the ground. That frontline approach has shaped Black Lake's understanding of factory operations and the decisions manufacturers make every day.

Over the past decade, Black Lake has helped factories digitize production processes. Now, as AI becomes more capable, the next step is bringing AI deeper into production decisions.

Zhou noted that manufacturing is moving from standardized, large-batch production toward a more agile model shaped by smaller batches, faster turnaround and rapidly changing demand.

Black Lake is bringing AI agents into areas including order processing, quotation, scheduling, quality management and fulfillment, while also exploring how AI can connect design, engineering, production coordination and manufacturing capacity.

In Zhou's view, AI's bigger opportunity lies in changing how industries operate. As he put it, "The real Google moment should happen only when you restructure the industry."

Founded in 2016, Black Lake Technologies is a leading industrial AI agent platform integrating AI across the full production lifecycle and accelerating the shift from data-driven manufacturing to AI-driven industrial transformation.

To date, Black Lake has empowered nearly 40,000 factories globally, serving customers including Tesla, McDonald's, Mixue Group, GAC Group and Nongfu Spring. By number of factories served, Black Lake has become a leading technology provider in the Asia-Pacific region and was among the first companies selected for the World Economic Forum's MINDS program.