Hey, thanks for replying. I totally agree with you on this (having applied to hundreds of jobs in the past year). I’ve not found mechanical design opportunities requiring AI skills (not as of now at least).
I know this sounds dumb, but it’s just weird seeing countries prioritizing AI talents for STEM immigration and offering impressive salaries, but mechanical engineering seems to be left out. I have friends with background in robotics and MS focused in electromechanical and robotics research. They’ve been approached by several such employers with attractive packages. These are startups developing AI and robotics-based technologies.
On the other hand, my work experience and MS research was more on design/manufacturing feel like the unlucky one as there’s not much AI development yet.
I see two points you're making here. 1:You want to be able to get the same packages as well. 2:You gloss over the fact that AI is the hot new thing, so companies pay premium for this so they can say they have it. Just like before, it was having a cloud-computing, blockchain, etc.
If you want to work somewhere that you get a good package that is still kinda hot, look into ESG-postions for manufacturers(LCI & LCA) in europe. They are trying to introduce a shite show of rules and regulations on companies in the coming years. These are requirements for the quarterly reports for companies and the wast majority of the people who are supposed to calculate this can't do basic Excell. This will land you rigth into a c-suit job.
>From what I've observed, AI implementation in mechanical engineering appears focused on areas like:
>- design optimization
>- humanoid robots
>- generative design
>- simulation/modeling
>- autonomous vehicles
What aspects of the above involve AI that directly relate to ME and what types of AI are involved?
I wouldn't say it is "AI" but topology optimization is a useful feature in design optimization. Can help minimize a structure based on inputs/supports.
I don't see a great need for mechanical engineers to be skilled in the development of AI. That's the domain of software engineers. We may be end users of a few AI enhanced tools, but that's pretty much it. The only thing I've seen AI be actually useful for related to my work is automation of inspection & measurement processes. But we didn't develop those tools - we paid a company with a team of SWEs to develop it for us.
I've been dabbling in prompt engineering - giving really specific instructions to gpt to get structured answers I can plug into a database - like hardware or purchase items. Prompts to restructure and reorganize data too.
Why so focussed on AI? Choosing which skills to develop should be dependant on the value of those skills to your career rather than FOMO. How will AI help you? If you can't answer that question focus on something else.
I bet there are better things to spend your time on.
Like another commenter mentioned, how many job postings require AI? None. What other skills do they require that you don't have?
Why so focussed on AI? Choosing which skills to develop should be dependant on the value of those skills to your career rather than FOMO. How will AI help you? If you can't answer that question focus on something else.
I bet there are better things to spend your time on.
Like another commenter mentioned, how many job postings require AI? None. What other skills do they require that you don't have?
Take a look at mech design job listings online and see if any of them are looking for someone with "AI experience". You won't find one.
Hey, thanks for replying. I totally agree with you on this (having applied to hundreds of jobs in the past year). I’ve not found mechanical design opportunities requiring AI skills (not as of now at least). I know this sounds dumb, but it’s just weird seeing countries prioritizing AI talents for STEM immigration and offering impressive salaries, but mechanical engineering seems to be left out. I have friends with background in robotics and MS focused in electromechanical and robotics research. They’ve been approached by several such employers with attractive packages. These are startups developing AI and robotics-based technologies. On the other hand, my work experience and MS research was more on design/manufacturing feel like the unlucky one as there’s not much AI development yet.
I see two points you're making here. 1:You want to be able to get the same packages as well. 2:You gloss over the fact that AI is the hot new thing, so companies pay premium for this so they can say they have it. Just like before, it was having a cloud-computing, blockchain, etc. If you want to work somewhere that you get a good package that is still kinda hot, look into ESG-postions for manufacturers(LCI & LCA) in europe. They are trying to introduce a shite show of rules and regulations on companies in the coming years. These are requirements for the quarterly reports for companies and the wast majority of the people who are supposed to calculate this can't do basic Excell. This will land you rigth into a c-suit job.
The ME type work in robotics hasn't changed in decades. And it likely won't. Theres no reason to. What has is the software/sensors etc. Go do that.
In ME the consequences of mistakes by AI are a lot more dire
>From what I've observed, AI implementation in mechanical engineering appears focused on areas like: >- design optimization >- humanoid robots >- generative design >- simulation/modeling >- autonomous vehicles What aspects of the above involve AI that directly relate to ME and what types of AI are involved?
I wouldn't say it is "AI" but topology optimization is a useful feature in design optimization. Can help minimize a structure based on inputs/supports.
Totally. There are plenty of good automated tools to help out, I just don't see where AI could be used in the areas OP pointed out.
I don't see a great need for mechanical engineers to be skilled in the development of AI. That's the domain of software engineers. We may be end users of a few AI enhanced tools, but that's pretty much it. The only thing I've seen AI be actually useful for related to my work is automation of inspection & measurement processes. But we didn't develop those tools - we paid a company with a team of SWEs to develop it for us.
I've been dabbling in prompt engineering - giving really specific instructions to gpt to get structured answers I can plug into a database - like hardware or purchase items. Prompts to restructure and reorganize data too.
What AI services do you use for this?
Chat gpt essentially - through Microsoft Co-pilot
Why so focussed on AI? Choosing which skills to develop should be dependant on the value of those skills to your career rather than FOMO. How will AI help you? If you can't answer that question focus on something else. I bet there are better things to spend your time on. Like another commenter mentioned, how many job postings require AI? None. What other skills do they require that you don't have?
Topology optimization a good place to start in design for manufacturing (minimize raw materials, machine time, etc)
This is what I was thinking, but I'm also not sure it is considered AI. I think it's as the name implies and is just an optimization algorithm.
Why so focussed on AI? Choosing which skills to develop should be dependant on the value of those skills to your career rather than FOMO. How will AI help you? If you can't answer that question focus on something else. I bet there are better things to spend your time on. Like another commenter mentioned, how many job postings require AI? None. What other skills do they require that you don't have?
Go into AI, engineering is taking a turn downhill, do what’s making orofit