No Code, No Problem: AI Is Changing How Engineers Work

• Proeksa Meas
• 2 October 2026
• Construction Focus
• 107 Views

Artificial intelligence is moving beyond the chatbot window and into engineering software, allowing engineers to design, analyze, and manage complex projects using plain-language instructions—without needing to write code.

Bentley Systems is demonstrating this approach through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard that allows AI assistants to communicate directly with software applications. Bentley has developed MCP servers for several of its engineering solutions, including MicroStation and STAAD. More than 2,000 people registered for the company’s recent webinar showcasing how the technology could simplify everyday engineering workflows.

One demonstration showed the potential of the technology by recreating the geometry of the Quebec Bridge. Bentley’s Louis-Martin Losier connected an AI agent to MicroStation and instructed it in plain English to draw the bridge. He then used STAAD to analyze the resulting structure. A project that originally took 17 years to build was digitally recreated in days, with an engineer reviewing the AI’s work step by step.

The technology can also help engineers create preliminary designs based on industry standards. In another demonstration, an AI assistant analyzed an existing road model, consulted noise-barrier standards and generated proposed barriers directly in MicroStation. It also explained which design rules it had applied, allowing engineers to validate or reject the results.

In structural engineering, AI can similarly reduce the need for programming. Bentley demonstrated how an AI assistant could review STAAD analysis results and combine multiple design iterations into a report showing how a structure evolved. In one example, the final design used nearly 40% less steel than the original 232.5-ton design.

For Bentley, the goal is not to replace engineers but to make their software easier to use while keeping engineering judgment at the center. The emerging workflow is straightforward: AI proposes, trusted engineering software calculates, and engineers review and approve the results.

As MCP technology develops, natural language could become a new interface for engineering—allowing professionals to spend less time learning software commands and writing automation code, and more time focusing on design decisions and engineering judgment.

• Bentley
• STAAD Pro
• MicroStation
• Bentley Systems
• MCP