AI fundamentals for engineering practices

Three questions usually come up before booking: is the course for us, what does the half-day session cover and what will we be able to do afterwards?

1. Who the course is for

   • The whole practice together: management, project management, design, engineering and administration
   • No prior knowledge required
   • Also suitable for people already using a chat tool

   Why train together rather than by department?: When everyone has seen the same examples, subsequent discussions are more productive. Much of the value lies in a shared understanding of what is possible.

   Why include the whole practice?: Reservations arise among the people who will use the tools. Without understanding how a tool works, they may expect too much or too little. Both can prevent adoption.

2. What the course covers

   • What actually happens, explained without jargon. How the tools produce their answers and what that means. 45 minutes.
   • What works in engineering practices today. Reports, meeting minutes, research and tender reviews, with a realistic assessment of their limitations. 60 minutes.
   • Practical exercises with real tasks. Using anonymised documents from your practice rather than generic examples. 90 minutes.
   • Recognising common errors. We show deliberately incorrect results and practise identifying the problems. 30 minutes.
   • What this means for our practice. An open discussion resulting in a list of ideas for you to keep. 30 minutes.

3. What you will be able to do

   • Assess realistically which everyday engineering tasks can be automated today
   • Recognise common errors, including invented facts, outdated standards and incorrect associations
   • Judge when a result can be used and when it cannot
   • Identify which data your practice can actually provide
   • Contribute to decisions about introducing AI in your practice