The UK recently announced its AI Opportunities Action Plan, outlining the next phase of AI development for Britain. The ambition is to use AI for economic prosperity, improved public services, and increased opportunity. The UK already has the groundwork to be a leader in AI as it benefits from high-quality research and engineering talent, particularly in AI for science and robotics. As the UK makes a concerted push on AI, the US has announced $500 billion in private capital funding to grow AI infrastructure.
This increased focus from plans and investments will impact the way that AI is utilized. As AI grows increasingly pivotal in technology, offering tools and methodologies that can enhance precision and adaptability across various domains, there are three areas where we can anticipate growth: generative AI, verification & validation, and control system designs.
Principal Product Manager for AI at MathWorks.
GenAI moves onto block diagrams, 3D models, and flow charts
While the initial focus on text-based GenAI continues to influence software-centric workflows, its impact on tools with higher-level abstractions is lagging. In 2025, we expect continued progress in applying GenAI to “no code” tools such as block diagrams, 3D models, and flowcharts. These tools enable organizations to graphically represent complex systems, effortlessly edit components, and manage the inherent complexity.
Furthermore, they are essential to productivity and validate confidence in system-level performance. Integrating GenAI with these tools will further increase their productivity while keeping the interfaces familiar to end users. More tools in this space will integrate AI copilots that can understand engineering models and assist in their design and management.
Leveraging verification and validation for AI compliance
Industry governing bodies are introducing AI compliance requirements, frameworks, and guidance as the integration of AI into safety-critical systems in automotive, healthcare, and aerospace applications accelerates. In response, technology leaders must prioritize the introduction and implementation of Verification and Validation (V&V) processes to ensure their AI components are ready for deployment under all conditions and can meet potential reliability, transparency, and bias compliance standards.
V&V is crucial for verifying the robustness of deep learning models and detecting out-of-distribution (OOD) scenarios, particularly in safety-critical applications. Robustness verification is crucial because neural networks can misclassify inputs with minor, imperceptible changes, known as adversarial examples. For instance, a subtle perturbation in a chest X-ray image might lead a model to incorrectly identify pneumonia as normal. Engineers can provide mathematical proof of a model’s consistency and test these scenarios using formal verification methods, such as abstract interpretation. This process enhances the model's reliability and ensures compliance with safety standards by identifying and addressing vulnerabilities.
Out-of-distribution detection is equally important, as it enables AI systems to recognize and appropriately handle unfamiliar inputs. This capability is vital for maintaining accuracy and safety, especially when unexpected data leads to erroneous predictions. The ability to discern between in-distribution and out-of-distribution data ensures that AI models can defer uncertain cases to human experts, thereby preventing potential failures in critical applications.
Focusing on V&V allows organizations to comply with AI frameworks and standards while advancing product development within their industry. A proactive compliance approach ensures that AI systems are reliable, safe, and ethically sound, maintaining a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving landscape.
The rise of AI-based reduced order models in engineering
The trend of using AI-based Reduced Order Models (ROMs) is expected to grow, driven by advances in AI technology and computational power. Organizations leveraging these models will enhance system performance and reliability, as well as the efficiency and efficacy of system design and simulation.
The primary driver behind this shift is the need to manage increasingly complex systems while maintaining high levels of precision and speed. Traditional computer-aided engineering (CAE) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models are accurate but computationally heavy and suboptimal for real-time applications. AI-based ROMs address this by cutting computational demands while maintaining accuracy. Organizations can use these models to simulate complex phenomena more quickly, facilitating faster iterations and optimizations.
Furthermore, AI-based ROMs' highly versatile ability to adapt to varying parameters and conditions enhances their applicability across different scenarios. This adaptability is particularly valuable in the aerospace, automotive, and energy fields, where engineered systems often involve intricate physical phenomena that require detailed modeling and simulation. For example, businesses that design and test aircraft components, such as wings or engines, can simulate aerodynamic properties and stress factors more efficiently, allowing engineers to iterate and optimize designs quickly. Additionally, AI-based ROMs can adapt to various flight conditions, making them versatile tools for testing multiple scenarios using the same model. This capability accelerates the development process, reduces costs, and enhances the reliability of the final product.
AI breaks down barriers in complex system control
AI’s continued integration into control design will transform the field, particularly in managing complex systems and embedded applications. Traditionally, control system design relied on first-principles modeling that required deep knowledge and understanding of the system. Data-driven modeling was largely limited to linear models that are valid only in a small part of the design envelope. AI is transforming this landscape by enabling the creation of accurate nonlinear models from data. This enables the creation of highly accurate models that combine first principles and data and are valid over the entire operating range. This advancement allows for better control of complex systems.
Simultaneously, the growing computational power of microcontrollers is facilitating the embedding of AI algorithms directly into systems. This integration is particularly impactful in the consumer electronics and automotive industries, where highly responsive systems are becoming the norm. For instance, AI is embedded in power tools to monitor and react to environmental changes, such as sudden material density shifts that could pose safety risks. These tools use embedded AI to autonomously adjust their operation, enhancing safety and performance.
The convergence of AI with complex system control and embedded systems ushers in an era of more robust, adaptive, and intelligent control design. Organizations can now create systems that learn and adapt in real-time, providing unprecedented precision and efficiency. This creates an environment where AI-driven solutions address traditional control problems, paving the way for smarter, more integrated systems across various engineering domains.
There should be excitement about AI’s continued maturation and progression. The fusion of physics insights with AI models will enhance transparency and adaptability, reducing the “black box” nature of traditional approaches. The democratization of AI tools enables organizations to access advanced capabilities more easily. These advancements will elevate AI's role in engineering and enable technical professionals to build better engineered systems more rapidly and effectively.
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