Britain's leading engineers found to be optimistic about AI

A Royal Academy of Engineering survey of 101 Fellows and awardees say artificial intelligence (AI) will make engineering skills more valuable, not less.

In fact, the survey found that 92% believe systems thinking, problem solving and critical thinking – core engineering skills - will become more valuable in an age of AI, while 77% expect a new generation of engineering roles and specialisms to emerge thanks to AI.

Many respondents already use AI to search and summarise, draft documents, write code, analyse data and some use it for modelling and design iteration. More than two thirds (68%) say it will change how engineers work “a great deal” over the next five years.

Looking ahead, respondents expect a division of labour, not a replacement. Two thirds (67%) think that after 2030 most engineers share tasks with AI. They expect the engineer’s job to shift from producing every part of the work to framing problems, checking what AI produces, and taking responsibility for the decisions.

Respondents repeatedly warn that AI’s outputs can look convincing and still be wrong, making critical thinking even more important, together with development of sensible standards.

Government projections suggest that demand for engineering roles across the UK will rise by 2.8%, equating to approximately 173,000 net new jobs by 2030.

However, the UK is already short of skilled engineers. Asked what lies behind the shortage, respondents pointed to competition from other sectors, experienced engineers retiring and too few graduates entering the job market