Description

POSTPONEMENT

IMechE and IET presentation and webinar Thursday 16 April 2026 at 19.00 to 20.15
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the future of Engineering by Dr Will Sayers, Associate Head of School - University of Gloucestershire

To all who have registered for this event:

We are sorry to have to inform you that the IMechE and IET presentation and webinar scheduled for Thursday 16 April 2026 cannot now take place and has had to be postponed.

We were just about to send you the joining instructions and link, but Dr Sayers has found that he is unexpectedly unable to make his presentation on Thursday.  We apologise for the short notice, but this is beyond anyone's control.

We will advertise a new date as soon as this can be established.
Thank you very much for your interest in this important topic, for your booking, and for your understanding in this situation.


Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the future of Engineering

The topic of AI is now present almost daily in news reports and technical and business papers and is something we really must learn to understand.

Many questions have been raised by engineers about the future effects, use and advantages of AI in engineering.

Dr Will Sayers at the University of Gloucestershire, whose research focuses on how AI can help solve real-world problems, believes the UK’s ambitious plans for AI leadership will bring further investment and create more jobs within Gloucestershire’s thriving cyber community and within the UK.

His presentation will look broadly at the topic and cover many of the questions raised and will include real examples of AI use in mechanical engineering, manufacturing, civil engineering.


Dr Will Sayers UoG AI Presentation and Webinar to IMechE

The questions raised by engineers included –

• What is AI, why is it currently so fashionable, what is new, what is now different?

• Have we not been using AI ever since there were data bases? Intelligent applications are already all around us – Google, chatGBT, Alexa, etc. 

• Isn’t there confusion of AI with automation, robotisation, 3D modelling and general use of the internet all of which we have used in engineering for years?

• How can we be certain of accuracy, where is responsibility, what are the risks to safety, security, IP?

• How will our engineering world be affected by AI and how should we use it?
 
The presentation will cover –

What is artificial intelligence, where did it come from, how is it impacting us today?

Deterministic and Generative engineering
Optimisation
Future developments
Ways to utilise AI, examples of how engineering firms could be using AI and digital
UoG working together with other HE institutions and Engineers

Format

This will be a hybrid event with an in-person audience in the UoG main lecture room plus on-line attendance via MS Teams.

The presentation will last 45 mins and will be followed by a 30 minute Q&A. On-line attendees can submit questions using the chat facility.

Full joining and logistical details will be sent following registration.