The increasing role of outsider technologies like real-time 3D and generative AI reveal that engineers must sharpen their skill sets—or fall behind.
After visiting a school in Washington last month, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claimed he was inspired by watching students play chess. “It’s really good for helping you think,” he said before announcing a £500,000 budget to install chessboard tables in the UK’s recreational parks.
Chess is a classic game, but doesn’t learning to play it just make you better at chess? Is there some unmeasurable benefit in the brain, and would you get the same benefit from playing Monopoly or even Call of Duty?
Politicians—and sometimes business leaders—can be guilty of knee-jerk, quick fixes, using gimmicks to plug some perceived gap. When it comes to technology selection for digital transformation, many leaders are guilty of a quick pick that leads nowhere fast.
But games are a different story. Not chess, not video games, but game engines. Also called real-time 3D platforms, game engines and the applications they enable are becoming key to the future of engineering. Pair that with another transformational technology—generative AI—and it’s clear to see that future engineers will require a radically new set of tech skills.
AR, VR and MR: It’s another world
You only have to look at what Unity and Unreal, two of the most prominent real-time 3D platforms, are doing with engineering firms to realize the increasing importance of game engines to industry. The ability to connect BIM data and stakeholders through these engines, collaborate with peers, and develop augmented, virtual and mixed reality (AR/VR/MR) tools is changing the skills landscape for engineers.
Unity Industry is a suite of products for custom real-time 3D experiences for AR, VR, mobile, desktop, and web across any industry, according to the developer. It counts big names in automotive, construction and manufacturing among its customer base and, like Unreal, is a growing influence in how engineering firms are looking to transform digital processes and tools.
In June this year, Oakland University in Michigan announced the Augmented Reality Center (ARC), a collaboration with Detroit’s College for Creative Studies (CCS). The aim of the Center is to provide “a new generation with unique opportunities to work alongside faculty and industry experts, applying real-time technology to various aspects of manufacturing.”
The focus is on applying AR to engineering projects. Founding partners include a host of well-known engineering businesses: ABB, AM General, Continental, General Motors, Hirotec America, KUKA Robotics, Magna International, MAHLE Industries, Rave Computer, Siemens and more. This list in itself reflects how industry views AR’s role in the development of engineering skills.
There is a growing list of AR/VR hardware and software aimed at engineering users. This is a technology that is only going to get more advanced and more integrated with engineering over the next few years, especially with the increasing demand for digital twin capabilities. Talk of an industrial metaverse continues to reverberate, but it is digital twins that will provide focus and ROI on any technology and skills investment in this area.
According to McKinsey’s recent report, Digital twins: The key to smart product development, “integrating digital twin technology into the early stages of product development could allow companies to adopt processes that work faster, deliver better results, and bring them closer to their customers.”
The report claims that firms already using digital twins have seen product development times cut by between 20 and 50 percent, with costs also reducing. For engineers this represents a shift, not just in skills development but also in approach to work. Digital technologies are reshaping processes and therefore daily working lives. For engineers this means being digital ready, regardless of specific tools. In many ways it’s a mindset, an open approach to embracing change.
Generative AI feels like cheating
For Bentley’s Katriona Lord-Levins, chief success officer and SVP, the growing demand for new tech skills needed for engineering projects is less about traditional design and more about this idea of digital readiness and maturity.
“As project requirements become more complex and digital delivery becomes even more prevalent, engineering firms must invest in tech skills and talent,” Lord-Levins told engineering.com. “They will need software engineers, data scientists, cybersecurity experts, drone operators and other highly skilled technical professionals to manage all of the information related to digital delivery, digital twins and AI.”
Lord-Levins also talks about “soft skills” and people that have “an edge of fearlessness bounded by an understanding of risk.” It’s a mindset that is prepared to use the latest technologies to problem solve and break down traditional barriers. This, she says, will go some way to improving project efficiency and productivity and tackling the infrastructure backlog.
One of the technologies touted for having a big impact here is AI. While automated analytics will have a big role in delivering the right data to the right application, generative AI will have an increasing influence on daily workflows. Although using a generative AI tool such as ChatGPT feels like someone else is doing your homework, it is only really going to improve and become a fixture in the everyday working life of engineers.
“ChatGPT can provide quick access to technical information and timely troubleshooting guides,” Rajat Kohli, managing partner at consultancy firm Zinnov, told engineering.com. Kohli added it can also “develop quality control and predictive maintenance systems, optimize supply chain management and analyze design specifications to improve product quality.”
This idea that generative AI can help engineers innovate and transform the way companies operate, by providing intelligent, data-driven solutions to complex problems, is an interesting one. Lord-Levins added that over the next 12 to 18 months, she sees AI demanding the greatest learning in the infrastructure sector.
“While artificial intelligence isn’t new to infrastructure, what is new is applying generative AI to the design phase, in particular how components are generated and reused,” she said. “The growing demand for AI capabilities to assist designers is driven by the fact that there are more projects than people to do the work.”
The challenge for engineering businesses is how to manage, train and retain skills. According to a Future of Work in Engineering & Architecture 2023 report from ActionsProve and the Engineering Management Institute, organizations are struggling to keep employees happy. Over half of engineers surveyed said they would consider moving, due largely to a lack of engagement or career progression.
As Lord-Levins added, “early-career employees already have a step up on how to engage in the virtual world. Keeping pace with them and keeping them interested is vital to our need for new talent.”
Upskilling will only go so far, but it is vital. Engineering and manufacturing businesses have to continue to evolve, embracing technology to root out waste and find ways to remain competitive in a volatile market. Central to this is how to get the best out of existing skills while finding new ones. For engineers with the ability to learn some of the latest tech skills, this is surely a golden time.
