The Open Copilot Association (OCA), an organization dedicated to driving the adoption of AI copilots in industrial and manufacturing sectors, today announced the formation of the Copilot Guidelines Working Group. The group is tasked with establishing a clear, foundational definition and a set of guidelines for what constitutes an AI-powered copilot for industrial applications, ensuring consistency and quality across the OCA marketplace.
The initiative is a direct response to growing market fragmentation, where a rapid increase in proprietary AI solutions threatens to overwhelm industrial sites with disparate systems, significant security hurdles, and steep learning curves for frontline workers.
“The ongoing rush for companies to deploy AI copilots is creating a disconnect in the manufacturing and industrial sectors,” said Dale Calder, CEO of InSkill and Co-Chair of the new working group. “This initiative is the most critical step yet in fulfilling the OCA’s core mission. By creating a common standard, we can move the industry from a state of fragmentation to a future of seamless interoperability, unlocking innovation and allowing expertise to flow freely across the entire ecosystem.”
The primary deliverable for the working group will be a formal white paper, “OCA Copilot Definition and Guidelines v1.0,” which will serve as a draft standard for the industry. The group’s mandate is focused on defining functional outcomes rather than specific underlying technologies. The scope includes:
- Defining the core functional capabilities and minimum requirements for an “OCA-Compliant Copilot.”
- Establishing guidelines for the types of knowledge a copilot may ingest, from product manuals to live worker expertise.
- Outlining essential user interaction paradigms, including natural language queries and safety-related interactions.
- Creating a framework for what constitutes a shareable “Solution” that can be captured and shared by a copilot.
The working group will not address commercial terms, pricing, or data security standards, which will be handled by separate, dedicated groups in the future.
The OCA has set an aggressive timeline for the group, aiming to produce a draft of the guidelines for member review in the coming months. This urgency reflects the need to provide a viable, open framework.
A Call for Collaboration This working group is actively recruiting additional members from the OCA community to ensure diverse representation from equipment OEMs, industrial sites, and service organizations. Participation offers a unique opportunity for industry leaders to shape the future of industrial AI and gain a strategic advantage by aligning their products with the standard from its inception.
To express interest in joining the working group, please visit open-copilot.org or email info@open-copilot.org.
