AI in Engineering

No other technology topic is currently receiving more attention than artificial intelligence. Media reports, studies and product announcements are coming thick and fast – but in practice, the picture is different: the proportion of companies that use AI strategically and at scale is still relatively low. In many places, there is no systematic approach to introduce AI in the product development process. Most strategies amount to simply building individual use cases.

In the OPPORTUNITY issue "Code the Product", we described a fully digital development approach that enables companies to benefit from shorter development times, a high level of product assurance and significantly reduced costs. In this issue of OPPORTUNITY, "AI in engineering", we shed light on the role of artificial intelligence in this new development approach.

Not every AI application changes processes to the same extent – some tools provide selective support, others take responsibility for entire processes. The taxonomy model developed by UNITY provides an orientation framework for this. It distinguishes between four categories of AI applications – from simple tools to digital AI employees. This model not only serves as a technical classification, but also as a basis for technology planning, change management and organizational development.