Think of an engineering student late at night in front of a laptop computer.
Their difficulties in finding an answer, writing code, checking calculations or experimenting with designs might have taken hours, but they have since evolved into quicker, more efficient processes.
Nowadays, they can just get assistance from an AI tool.
AI can code in seconds, describe a technical concept, identify potential bugs, design things and even offer solutions to problems.
This has generated a large enquiry among the students and working professionals:
With the aid of AI, engineers can accomplish so much, so why bother with real human engineers?
This question seems even more relevant in the light of Engineers Day 2026 celebrated on 15th September in India.
Bharat Ratna Sir M. Visvesvaraya had made significant contributions to the advancement of engineering in India, hence this day is observed as Engineer’s Day in India.
But, maybe the bigger question for today’s Engineers Day is, will AI replace engineers?
It is if engineers familiar with the use of AI will take over with the new approach to engineering.
A different era of technology was present when Sir M. Visvesvaraya was alive.
No AI assistance, cloud-based infrastructure or computers to aid engineers in problem solving.
The knowledge, calculations, observation and practical experience of humans were very important for engineering.
But, the fundamental role of engineering remains the same.
Engineers will still need to grasp the problem and come up with an effective solution.
It’s just the tools that have evolved.
The calculator revolutionized the way calculations were carried out. The creation of designs and simulations was revolutionized by computers. The Web revolutionized the way engineers got information.
AI is transforming the engineering way of work.
That doesn’t have to mean that the engineer is gone.
It’s a way for the engineer to spend less time on repetitive activities and more time on the decision making task.
AI has spread its usefulness to numerous aspects of engineering.
It can write code for software engineers, explain errors, develop a set of test cases and assist in debugging.
Content designers can utilise AI to generate concepts and ideas.Content designers can leverage AI for concept generation and exploring possibilities.
It can be used by data professionals to analyse large volumes of data and find patterns.
AI can help in industries, such as manufacturing, for prediction, optimisation, and automation.
Even engineering students are now practicing using AI as a learning assistant to explain the challenging concepts and assist them in comprehending technical subject matter.
AI is transforming entry-level jobs, and businesses must reassess the process of job experiences and technical skills for young employees, the World Economic Forum has said.
Yes, AI can do a lot of things that used to involve only humans!
A task is not a profession, however.
Suppose that you gave an AI the task of designing a bridge.
May be able to make calculations, recommend materials or evaluate various designs.
However, who will decide what the bridge actually is supposed to accomplish?
Who knows the area?
Who takes into account safety, regulations, cost, maintenance and situations that will arise?
Who is accountable when it doesn’t work out?
Here are some questions that illustrate how engineering is not just about calculations or code.
Judgment is a requirement of the Engineer.
They must grasp the practical issue, challenge beliefs, weigh up the various needs and make decisions.
Suggestions from AI can be provided.
Whether those suggestions are feasible is still up to the engineer to determine.
Once upon a time a “good programmer” was someone who knew how to write a lot of program code.
That is changing.
In a short time, an engineer, using AI tools, might be able to produce hundreds of lines of code with a couple of commands.
However, creating code is not a good way to learn it.
If a developer doesn’t know how to read and write the code that AI generates, they can easily make mistakes in the code, which may lead to security issues and hard-to-maintain software, or bugs.
The concept is applicable to anything other than software.
While AI can propose an engineering solution, it is necessary to see if it’s feasible and safe.
Problem-solving and critical thinking are a necessity, as are technical understanding and skills, particularly in this regard.
IBM’s 2026 talk on what software engineering will look like in the future echoes the same sentiment: future software engineers will have to look at things beyond just coding and comprehend the entire system, technology and data, and how AI fits into the picture.
Reflect on the impact of computers in Engineering.
Computers did not make engineers superfluous!
Rather, it was the work that the engineers could perform that was changed.
It’s possible that the same could apply to AI.
An engineer that used to take 3 hours to build a simple solution can now build his first version in 30 minutes.
The rest of the time may be devoted to testing, fine tuning, learning about edge cases, working out more complex issues.
This may help to keep engineers more productive.
AI is also transforming software roles and making them more focused on aspects like architecture, integration, problem-solving, and AI-driven decision-making, the World Economic Forum has said.
But that’s not necessarily the battle between AI and engineers in the future.
Engineers may be at odds with one another: engineers who embrace AI, versus engineers who don’t want to.
One thing that’s a great cause for concern.
What will new engineers do if they have all their work done for them?
The traditional method of teaching junior employees was to give them minor tasks to complete, have them make errors and then give them larger ones.
But with AI handling the basic tasks, new users might receive less practice in mastering the basics.
This is a challenge the World Economic Forum has raised, as companies grapple with the thought of how future senior talent will manifest in a world dominated by artificial intelligence and more mundane tasks.
This implies that business and academia will have to adopt a different approach to the education of young engineers.
They might not be able to just tell beginners to write more code or to perform repetitive tasks, but might have to provide more chances for them to learn about real systems, problem solving, and work on real projects.
The answer for students and freshers is most likely not to stay away from AI.The answer for students/freshers is most likely: Don’t avoid AI.
It’s time to get to know the basics and get to know AI in the process.
A future ready engineer is someone who is familiar with his or her “core subject” but also is familiar with the use of modern tools.
Here are some of the basic skills that are important:
These skills transfer to other tools, and will make engineers valuable even when such tools change over time.
After all, the current tool that is in vogue may not be the same tool that engineers will be using 5 years from now.
However, problem solving skills and the ability to come up with a good solution will still be useful.
Not completely.
The use of AI can eliminate or automate portions of the engineering task. There may be things that are repetitive that won’t be there or will run significantly quicker.
There may be a shift in some roles as well. Engineering is more than just creating a solution.
Understanding of people, environments, risks and costs, systems and consequences. It’s also about assuming responsibility for decisions.
It’s not easy to come up with a straightforward answer just using AI. A future where humans and AI are joining forces is more plausible than ever.
AI takes care of more mundane tasks.
For engineers, the decisions are more complicated.
Then, the engineers who are able to master AI could be ahead of the game over those who choose to ignore it.
Engineers Day, as the name suggests is an occasion to remember Sir M. Visvesvaraya and the role of engineers in the development of India. Engineers have also been mentioned as being a key part of innovation and solving hard problems by government communications.
However, in 2026, the festivities can be an opportunity to consider the future of engineering.
Technology will keep on evolving.
AI will get better at doing things.AI will be able to do more. A number of engineering activities will be automated.
Jobs will open up or other jobs may be updated. But one thing is not likely to go away – the need to solve real problems!
That’s where the engineers still can play a role.
Future engineers may not be the ones who write all of the pieces of code or make all of the manual calculations.
It could be the one who can tell what the issue is to be solved, what to use to solve it, how to verify the answer, when not to allow the machine to make the answer, and so forth.
So, if you ask yourselves the question on Engineers Day, 2026, it may be better to ask:
“Will Artificial Intelligence take the place of Engineers?”
It is:
How can engineers leverage AI to create items that its human counterparts might have been less able to create easily prior to AI?
Engineers Day is observed in India on September 15, the birth anniversary of Sir M. Visvesvaraya.
AI can automate many engineering tasks, but engineers are still needed for problem-solving, judgment, design decisions and responsibility.
Some repetitive tasks and roles may change, but AI is also creating new ways of working and new technical opportunities.
Yes. Students should learn AI tools while also building strong fundamentals in their engineering field.
Problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, technical knowledge, AI literacy and the ability to keep learning will be increasingly important.
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