Future Forward (Powered by ACEC): AI and the Future of Engineering: (Don’t) Rage Against the Machine

Go to any gathering of engineers—whether it’s a professional conference or a happy hour—and you’re almost guaranteed to hear a discussion about AI and how much it’s going to change our industry. (Notice I said “going to” change as opposed to “could” change.) A recent study by the ACEC Research Institute, “The Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Engineering Industry” (visit iimag.link/HLPrk), supports and quantifies the anecdotal evidence that AI already is playing a huge role in what engineers do and how we do it, but it also makes a compelling case that there’s no future for engineering firms that doesn’t in some way involve AI. The question is going to be how firms will use these tools—and how well.

Firm of the Future

In 2022, the Research Institute launched a scenario-planning initiative called “Firm of the Future,” which focuses on seeing around corners, setting aside preconceived notions and taking a focused view of what the engineering industry will need to do to prepare for a marketplace that becomes more driven by technology with every passing day. It’s no coincidence that the first study released under the auspices of Firm of the Future focused on AI. Writes BST Global CEO Javier Baldor in the study’s foreword: “The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has propelled the world headfirst into the Fourth Industrial Revolution—the Data Revolution … For the AEC industry, AI brings promising capabilities for innovative design, more sustainable practices, expedited workflows and beyond.”

And firms are recognizing the sheer potential of those capabilities. The BST Global AI + Data Survey of ACEC members revealed that 85 percent of firms believe AI is important to their firm’s success, while 87 percent of respondents feel that AI will enhance their job performance and satisfaction. There’s quiet understanding throughout the industry that the future will belong to firms that give over to AI what AI can achieve, thus freeing up time and talent to focus on what AI can’t achieve.

For many firms, the will is there to adopt and integrate AI. It’s the “how” that presents challenges. A January 2025 Research Institute survey found that 29 percent of firms already have an AI strategy in place, with another one-third (34 percent) in the process of developing one. Although that represents an 11-percentage-point increase in just one year, the glass-half-empty interpretation of these data is that nearly one-third of firms (32 percent) are not yet embracing AI. For those firms that do have or are developing strategies, the focus is on erecting ethical and governance guardrails arund its use and aligning AI with business priorities and objectives.

How Are Early Adopters Using AI?

Our study found that marketing and sales (81 percent) is by far the most common use. Low-risk tasks like churning out social media copy or creating marketing collateral are obvious choices for outsourcing to AI. Conversely, the second most-used area is project design and delivery (only 36 percent)—a wide usage gap that suggests firms still are hesitant to look to AI for high-risk tasks. Still, there’s insight to be gleaned from these numbers.

For engineering firms, the value of AI today lies in its ability to perform non-technical tasks. As AI continues to evolve and improve, more firms will dip their toes into outsourcing more complex technical tasks. And when that happens, skillfully leveraging AI will no longer simply be a competitive advantage; it will be a business imperative.

That day is coming—sooner than anyone ever imagined. AI will never substitute for human ingenuity, but it will bring about seismic change in how that ingenuity is applied. Our “Firm of the Future” initiative isn’t just a branding exercise. It’s an acknowledgement that our firms are facing stark choices. One of those near-term choices is whether to integrate AI or risk being supplanted by competitors using AI. Change isn’t just inevitable; it’s also insistent. The better part of wisdom—for organizations and individuals—is to adapt. But for the engineering industry, I would take that one step further and pose the question: why just adapt when we can lead?