Engineering Futures returned this week with Advanced Manufacturing, a three-day webinar series dedicated to building expertise in the technologies being used in the most cutting-edge and productive factories.
All the expert-led sessions from 2023 are now available on-demand – register here to subscribe for 2024.
AI probably won’t replace engineers
Eight broad challenges will occupy engineers for the next 30-50 years, said IMechE past president Peter Flinn in the opening session. Some of these, such as competitiveness and recruitment, are perennial issues for engineering and manufacturing firms. Others, such as the energy transition and strategic materials, are becoming increasingly important. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one such issue.
“Artificial intelligence is very much the topic of the moment, and one can see it playing a strong role,” said Flinn. “First of all in the analysis of large datasets, in process and system controls, in the management of supply chains, and in the application of standards and design codes and so on.”
Despite its significant power, he said that AI will not replace engineers. Instead, workers will benefit from its assistance. “I personally think that AI will become more of a support, in the same way as FE (finite element) models support engineers. It will enable engineers to do things, or to consider things, perhaps take more facts into account, more data into account and build up a broader picture of how things work…
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