CH 01
The dark factory
I walked through a factory with no lights and no people. What I saw changed everything.
The new category of industrial AI
IRIS
Industrial Reality Intelligence Systems
Why factories with people will win.
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Industrial AI is at a crossroads. One path replaces people with machines. The other empowers people to outperform machines. This book is about the second path — and why it wins.
Inside the book
Twelve chapters. One argument.
A 210-page walk through the dead zones of today’s factories, the architecture of IRIS, the security rings that make AI coexist with critical OT, and a full real-world case in powder coating.
CH 02
What your systems do well (and what they can’t do anymore)
MES, SCADA, ERP, BI — where the dead zones are.
CH 03
Two futures
Factories with people vs factories without people. Which side are you on?
CH 04
Will I have fewer people?
The honest answer, and a cautionary tale from the bread industry.
CH 05
What is IRIS
A new category defined in factory language, not lab language.
CH 06
Where IRIS fits
The putty that fills the gaps your other systems left open.
CH 07
The three security rings
How AI coexists with critical OT without risk.
CH 08
Reindustrialization
Why IRIS is the architecture for the world that’s coming.
CH 09
Powder coating: the full case
From defect detection to root cause in concentric jidoka cycles.
CH 10
How to design an IRIS pilot
Win trust and results in 30-60-90 days.
CH 11
Anti-patterns
How to kill an IRIS implementation.
CH 12
Epilogue: lead with the truth
A call to action for CEOs and AI builders.
Plus six real deployments, one per entry channel — email, paper, WhatsApp, photograph, panel and voice. See the 6 examples and their ROI →
About the author
Sebastian J. Brau
Endorsed & supported by
Built on institutional ground.
IRIS connects an academic foundation (CPS), a global human-AI movement, a European industrial network and the first commercial implementation on the market.
AIforHuman.org
Endorsed by the global association for human-empowering AI.
European Industry 4.0 Initiative
Supported by the European industrial innovation network.
University of Maryland
Foreword by Jay Lee, Director of the Industrial AI Center.
iLEAN Industrial Systems
Powered by the first complete IRIS platform on the market.
From the foreword
Technology alone does not create winning factories. People do.
“To CEOs considering a future with dramatically fewer people on the factory floor, I would offer a simple caution: do not confuse automation with competitiveness.”
University of Maryland
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
What does IRIS stand for?
IRIS stands for Industrial Reality Intelligence Systems — a new category of AI software designed to capture what really happens on the shop floor, turn it into actionable intelligence, and give it back to the people who run the factory.
Where can I buy the book?
IRIS was published on September 28, 2026. The ebook (EPUB + PDF) and the audiobook are sold directly on this site, with instant access: read the book in your browser and listen to the audiobook on the web or in your podcast app. The hardcover is available on Amazon.
Who writes the foreword?
Jay Lee, Clark Distinguished Chair Professor and Director of the Industrial AI Center at the University of Maryland, a pioneer of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). His work on CPS is one of the intellectual foundations of IRIS.
Who is the book for?
CEOs, plant directors, quality directors, CIOs, maintenance and operations leaders in manufacturing companies — and anyone building AI products for industry. It is written in factory language, not lab language.
Why does Sebastian say factories with people will win?
Because the dead zones inside every plant — the gaps left open by MES, SCADA, ERP and BI — can only be filled by combining AI with people who own the process. Removing the people removes the loop that lets the system learn. The book argues this case with examples from automotive, food, ceramics, aerospace and heavy industry.
What is the relationship between this book and iLEAN?
iLEAN Industrial Systems is the first complete IRIS platform on the market, built by Sebastian and his team. The book defines the category; iLEAN is one implementation of it. The book is independent and product-agnostic — it argues for the category, not the vendor.