How generative AI is reshaping design and simulation
Generative AI has become a major topic not just in the domain of public interest, but in the professional world as well. Generative AI offers the potential to shake up long held practices and enable new and innovative approaches to different challenges. One area where generative AI is poised to make a huge impact is that of simulation and design, where new AI-driven systems have the potential to radically shift the way users interact with technology itself. In a recent podcast, available here, I spoke with Dr. Justin Hodges, an AI/ML Technical Specialist and product manager for Simcenter, about what these changes will look like and where he sees generative AI going in the future.
Definitions are important, especially with a topic as new and emergent as generative AI, and to start our conversation Justin defines what generative AI is, in the simplest sense, as “a means for creating types of media and content.” Compared to other types of AI, generative models don’t require a lot of human intervention while producing complex results such as text, images, and audio. In the context of industry and professional software generative AI can also serve as a second layer, interacting with outputs from other, non-generative, AI algorithms to further enhance the results.
Moving onto the topic of applications, Justin offers a quote which highlights what generative AI can offer as a tool to enhance the way we work: “Lifting the dirty, dull, dangerous and difficult tasks from humanity’s shoulders, so we can simply focus on the very essence of our work, the vision, the idea, and the purpose.” Compared to traditional ‘dumb’ systems and even those powered by other types of AI, generative AI-powered systems offer an unprecedent ability to interpret from natural human inputs, such as sketches or explanations, into structured forms such as documentation or 3D models. This can help cut away much of the dull or tedious work that underpins more creative endeavors without sacrificing on quality or safety.
Another way generative AI has the potential to reshape the landscape of design and simulation is also its most famous application, as a conversational chatbot. Many types of professional software, ranging from layout and design to 3D-modeling and simulation, are highly complex while the work done on them must adhere to rigorous standards. While powerful tools and high standards are important, it also makes the learning curve for these types of software very high as users must learn to navigate both the tool itself and its documentation.
However, using a generative AI chatbot trained on documentation, expert knowledge and how to use the tool itself, finding required information could be as simple as asking a knowledgeable colleague – even if that colleague is an AI algorithm. A system like this not only makes knowledge easier to find, but more accessible too since the AI could present its answers in a more human readable format than what is offered through documentation alone.
Aside from making valuable knowledge more accessible, integrating it into a chatbot can also improve standardization, reducing or removing the human element when it comes to interpreting or explaining what a particular piece of information means. This not only helps ensure uniform quality of all work produced, but also helps teach those best practices and hard-won industry knowledge to users at every level of experience, building a common framework of knowledge and understanding with a team or company.
In many ways, we are still at the tip of the artificial intelligence iceberg, and it can be hard to predict how much of an impact AI will have in the coming years but from looking at how AI is used today, it’s clear that impact will be a profound one. As technology continues to advance and become more difficult to use, generative AI presents a powerful way to bridge the gap between humans and machines, helping us connect with both or technology and knowledge in a way we can’t do on our own while at the same time being an innovative tool in its own right.
