Artificial Intelligence in physical product design and manufacture: What does it really mean for people, our planet and the products we buy?


The adoption of AI into design, engineering and manufacturing is being accelerated fast, leading to increased productivity and competitiveness. The race to the ‘top’ is happening now … but most of the conversation is dominated around AI in the realms of ‘digital’, but what about the ‘physical’ man-made object?

What are the physical and tangible impacts of AI on product design now, and for the future?

I am currently undertaking a **Churchill Fellowship** to explore this in more detail and will be travelling to Vietnam, Germany, Sweden and Netherlands 2024/5.

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Product Design : Materials, construction, functionality : How can we build better products with AI? What does it enable us to do, that we couldn’t do before?

Society and Culture: How dose technology and culture influence each other? What governmental initiatives can help foster promising economies with AI?

Environment: Protection for future generations, how? Are we focusing in the right places?

Education: How will AI shape learning and how we learn? What should we be teaching today, to ensure the right skills of tomorrow?

Raw Materials: How is Cobalt mined? Why are Rare Earth Elements so important in AI physically?

Manufacturing: Will new specialisations emerge? How will businesses create new IP?


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*simplified (traditional) product value chain

Introduction:

I have been working the Industrial Product Design / Engineering Industry for over 10 years across a variety of industries, on products such as consumer electronics, industrial equipment and medical devices. My roles have varied, but simply put, I help businesses/teams design, develop and launch products for market.

Products have been physical in nature, often with a mechanical functionality and with an integrated electronics/software component. They have either been entirely new products (and businesses) to market, or to fit into an existing product line with an established market.