Will AI end or enhance a career in engineering?

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’.

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.”

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.

Nina Gryf - Make UK

Chief Scientist at the Alan Turing Institute, the UK’s national body for data science and AI, Mark Girolami says that part of the debate rests on the fact that “engineers have always been able to adapt. The definition of the word is linked to the word ingenious.” Which means for Girolami that “engineers develop technologies to make life better, whether that is economically or in terms of safety or efficiency. If we look at how Large Language Models have disrupted our lives as humankind, these have arisen because of the innovation of engineers developing algorithms, comms and computer systems that bring AI to life.”

Girolami doesn’t anticipate ‘marauding robots’ on the horizon. Neither does he foresee unemployed engineers. What he sees are “new technologies that will unleash the creativity and the ingenuity of the engineer” and in doing do, they will “enable engineers to do what they do, only better, faster and more effectively.” When asked about the underlying reason for mistrust over AI, he puts forward the idea that it is a matter of linguistics. “If we didn’t call them AI, and referred to them as data-driven technologies – which is what they are – then the concern that humanity is going to be displaced would be dampened down.”

While the experts are unanimously optimistic about the potential for streamlining and accelerating engineering’s creative processes, their statements also come with a note of caution. As with other game-changing technologies, AI will displace jobs, says Scott, in this case “into places that we can’t even imagine currently. And that will be a challenge for the educational system – for the next generation of engineers – or for employers of those already in the workforce. The misuse of AI will be a threat, which is why proper checks and balances need to be put in place.”

This challenge also concerns Gryf, who highlights the UK’s manufacturing landscape that is currently “grappling with significant labour shortages.” There are, she says, 58,000 unfilled vacancies. “A common challenge cited is the lack of technical skills among applicants. As manufacturers increasingly adopt AI and other digital technologies, the focus must shift toward the opportunities AI creates for enhancing skills and transforming jobs.” And yet, “AI is already reshaping roles in manufacturing, with 15 per cent of companies reporting the creation of new, higher-skilled positions due to AI adoption.” Despite the complexities of an adapting labour pool, “far from replacing workers, AI is helping automate repetitive, complex, or error-prone tasks, allowing employees to focus on higher-value work.”

Mark Girolami - Alan Turing Institute 

For Girolami, one of the main points to bear in mind is that AI technology in itself is neutral and can be a force for, in the case of critical national infrastructure, either securing it for the benefit of society, or when in the hands of of bad actors, exposing it to malfeasance in the form of hacking. “This is exactly what we see with all new technologies,” he said. “It should be the servant and not the master. I see AI as the engineer’s butler: ‘Go and get me a number of feasible designs that will satisfy these constraints so that I can add my greater creativity.’ I see a lot of these technologies as being enabling and supporting of the engineer.” 

Girolami goes back to the question of whether video killed the radio star and draws the distinction between the technologist and the technology. “The radio star was just the talent. It was the engineers who developed the radio. With AI it is the engineer that is the talent. The engineer is the king, the one who is going to be serviced by the technology.”