By Autodesk Senior Vice President, Research Mike Haley
AI and the Future of Work: Building the Skills and Data to Drive Progress
Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technology are revolutionizing various sectors, with large models trained on industrial data types now emerging. At Autodesk, we’re dedicated to enhancing the AI tools we offer engineers, architects, filmmakers, and other creative professionals. Our commitment is evident with nearly 70 published AI research papers, underlining our status as the world’s leading AI research lab for CAD geometry. Despite the inevitable disruption to some tasks and professions, generative AI holds immense opportunities for workers who adapt and acquire new skills.
Overcoming Challenges
There are several core challenges we are working to overcome as we advance this bright future for AI in the industries we serve.
A significant challenge is equipping the workforce to make the most of these tools. Autodesk is addressing this by offering its software for free to educators and students and working closely with trade unions to prepare tomorrow’s workforce.
Data acquisition for training large AI models is another hurdle. The past decade’s machine learning advancements relied on vast datasets acquired from the open internet. As our customers aim to use data within their corporate firewalls to train new generative models, amassing equivalent datasets is tricky. No single company has adequate data to train large foundation models. It necessitates creating cross-industry incentives, common interest areas, and governing structures. For example, construction firms pool their health and safety data to train an AI model for applications to reduce onsite safety risks.
These large datasets will become the “infrastructure” of a new commercial AI market. Just as rail and road infrastructure opened markets worldwide, these datasets cannot be created in isolation. Rapid aggregation of these datasets, with transparency and appropriate regulations, is a task for governments and business consortia.
Our aim is to create robust, useful, and trusted AI tools, to benefit our economy widely. A well-regulated AI industry is essential for economic growth, user safety, and maintaining the integrity of institutions and companies that design and make the world we live in.
About the author:
Mike Haley is Senior Vice President, Research at Autodesk. He leads the company’s industrial research that uncovers new technologies for customer-centric transformations while addressing challenges like climate change, automation, and industry convergence. He established Autodesk’s AI lab, driving machine learning competency, and pioneering cloud technology. He also leads Autodesk’s Generative AI efforts.
