44 - From Mining PLCs to AI-Powered Automation: Building the Future SoftPLC with Alex Sharikov

What happens when a controls engineer with 16 years of mining and manufacturing experience decides to build an AI-powered SoftPLC from scratch? In this episode, we find out.

Alex Sharikov, Founder of JasperX and creator of JasperNode, joins Phil Seboa and Ed Fuentes to share how he's enabling small manufacturers to program and troubleshoot their control systems using plain English, no PLC software required.

Key topics in this episode:

• Why 80% of Australian manufacturers struggle with automation support
• How JasperNode's "atomic and unambiguous logic" keeps AI reliable
• The shift from prompt engineering to context engineering in control systems
• Building a SoftPLC from scratch instead of patching AI onto existing platforms
• Why human-in-the-loop safety is non-negotiable for production environments

This episode is proudly made possible by PLCnext Technology

PLCnext Technology is the ecosystem for industrial automation consisting of open hardware, modular engineering software, a global community, and a digital software marketplace.

Learn more at:

https://www.plcnext-community.net/news/synergy-edge-cloud/

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Connect with Alex on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-sharikov/

Connect with Phil on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-seboa/

Connect with Ed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-fuentes-2046121a/

Learn more about JasperX: https://jasperx.com.au

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About Industry Sage Media:

Industry Sage Media is the content creation company behind Unplugged: An IIoT Podcast. We help automation brands grow their reach, influence, and pipeline through expert-driven content.

Learn more at: http://www.industrysagemedia.com