Can AI Help Solve the World’s Engineering Shortage?

• Proeksa Meas
• 10 October 2026
• Construction Focus
• 78 Views

The infrastructure industry is facing a growing shortage of engineers even as demand for bridges, roads, power networks, and other projects continues to rise. Bentley Systems is turning to artificial intelligence to help engineers work faster while keeping human expertise at the center of critical decisions.

Bentley’s approach combines AI’s ability to understand language, reason through problems, and generate instructions with engineering software that performs precise modeling, analysis, and simulation. Through Model Context Protocol (MCP), AI assistants can communicate directly with Bentley applications, allowing engineers to control complex workflows using plain-language commands.

Early projects show the potential of this approach. AI helped identify a structural design that reduced steel use by 40 percent, while other experiments have dramatically shortened time-consuming engineering tasks. Engineers, however, remain responsible for reviewing and verifying the results.

The technology is already being tested across the industry. AI agents have recreated major structures such as London’s Gherkin tower and the Quebec Bridge, while Stantec is using AI-powered software to automate aspects of site grading. Bentley and Collins Engineers have also developed a bridge-inspection training application in just three days with the help of an AI coding assistant.

Beyond design, AI is being used to monitor infrastructure. In South Africa’s Western Cape, Bentley’s Blyncsy platform is scanning 5,000 kilometers of roads for hazards such as damaged guardrails, missing signs, and debris. Digital tools are also helping speed up power-line design as the United States faces rapidly growing electricity demand.

Bentley says the future of infrastructure engineering will increasingly depend on collaboration between AI, specialized engineering software, and human professionals. Rather than replacing engineers, the technology is intended to expand their capacity, allowing them to spend more time on complex decisions while AI handles routine and time-consuming work.

• Technology and Engineering
• Bentley
• Blyncsy
• AI
• Bentley Systems