Will AI end or enhance a career in engineering?

With the mainstream media filled with AI-fuelled apocalyptic scenarios for the world of work, Nick Smith asks the experts if AI really is harmful to the engineer’s career prospects?

When the legendary American computer scientist Claude Shannon predicted a future in which “we will be to robots as dogs are to humans” the sci-fi nightmare of the rise of the robots inched closer to reality and into the realm of public debate. “I’m on the side of the machines”, he added, and since then the mainstream media has mostly followed his lead. 

Newspaper speculation over what the balance of the AI master-servant relationship will look like has become a daily event. Engineers will be familiar with the doom-laden newspaper headlines – and these are real – such as ‘March of the machines makes idle hands’, ‘Growing technologies: shrinking jobs’, and ‘Is this the start of the great AI jobs bloodbath?’ Elon Musk stated at VivaTech 2024 in Paris that he saw a future in which ‘none of us will have a job’.

On the other hand, in January 2025 Prime Minister Kier Starmer announced how his blueprint to “turbocharge” AI would set the UK on a trajectory of economic growth. The media is also capable of taking a positive approach, giving workers in the industrial sector cause for optimism when they read upbeat headlines like: ‘AI can give engineering a creative boost’, ‘AI to bring plenty of new roles too’, and ‘AI revolution ensures economy’s evolution’.

AI is changing the engineer and making engineering an even more attractive profession to enter

Rab Scott - AMRC

Technology shifts have always created moral panic as innovation replaces existing ‘tried and true’ ways of doing things. As Apple experiences teething problems with the rollout of its new AI, the BBC reports that the tech giant is suspending the service due to warnings from media outlets and press groups that the feature is “not ready and that AI-generated errors [are] adding to issues of misinformation and falling trust in news.” But there is nothing new in rushes to judgement: the invention of writing, it was once thought, would damage our memories. Printing press would put ideology into the minds of the oppressed masses. The internet would commoditise low-quality knowledge, while social media would signal the backward trend that closed down civilised discourse. History can’t help repeating itself: the public’s first reaction to any innovation set to change the world is always one of resistance. 

At the dawn of the MTV age, Buggles had a smash hit – ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ – that explored our attitudes to one consumer entertainment format taking over from another. So here we ask a similarly framed question: is AI killing the engineer? Not at all, says Rab Scott of the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). But it is “changing the engineer and making engineering an even more attractive profession to enter.” Despite the media hype, says Scott, “remember that AI is a form of automation which has been shown to have increased the value and number of jobs. The same will happen with AI, but only once proper controls are put in place to overcome bias and manipulation.”

Scott thinks that in the engineering space AI is destined to “improve productivity and competitiveness through the removal of mundane tasks.” It will provide insights “either faster than before, or with a level of prediction allowing, for example, failure to be predicted, and thus potentially avoided. Humans are the ultimate creative machine, and while AI might be able to do things faster, it will still need a human to tweak the last 20 per cent.” He explains how AMRC is currently working with companies to predict potential failure scenarios in equipment “so we can reduce downtime. We are also working with companies to optimise their energy usage.” Both examples are based on teaching companies how “to capture and analyse engineering data to reduce emissions, costs and to improve productivity.”

AI-powered tools are unlocking possibilities that engineers could only dream of a decade ago. - stock.adobe.com

Digitalisation Lead at Make UK Nina Gryf agrees: “From our Future Factories report and conversations with manufacturers we see that AI can offer a host of transformative benefits to engineers.” She thinks that by taking over repetitive and iterative tasks, “AI frees up time and mental bandwidth for engineers to focus on creativity and innovation. This shift not only enhances productivity but also allows engineers to explore solutions and ideas that were once constrained by time and resources.”

Gryf goes on to explain how AI-powered tools such as digital twins “have unlocked possibilities that engineers could only dream of a decade ago. These virtual replicas of processes and machines enable real-time testing, simulation and optimisation, providing a deeper understanding of systems before physical implementation. Engineers can now make data-driven decisions with unprecedented accuracy, reducing errors and improving outcomes.” More than that, Gryf say that AI equips engineers with “enhanced skills, broadening their capabilities and opening doors to new specialisations. By analysing vast amounts of data, AI delivers insights that drive better designs, optimise workflows and improve machine performance.” This all adds up to improvements in efficiency, reduced waste, and a greater potential to innovate.