AI in October

AI in engineering and New Zealand

How AI is transforming Health, Safety & Workflows Join the next webinar in our Engineering and AI series and learn about how AI is rapidly reshaping health and safety by turning video data into actionable insights.

AI Forum Webinar - Building an AI-Ready AEC Workforce Register for the next webinar in the AI Forum series scheduled for 14 November. If you missed the first of the series AI fundamentals watch the recording here.

AI Governance Working Group Digest Stay up to date with the latest in AI governance frameworks, ethical standards, and regulatory developments. This month’s digest covers global policy shifts, sector-specific case studies, and actionable guidance for engineering teams navigating responsible AI deployment.

Scott Automation Dunedin-based Scott Automation showcases how New Zealand innovation competes globally. Its AI-enabled robotics and automation systems power food processing, logistics, and materials handling worldwide, improving precision, speed, and sustainability in production lines.

Robotics in action A new video series from the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Engineering showcases how robotics and machine learning are transforming real-world applications across industry and research.

AI scribe to speed up emergency care for patients New Zealand's Ministry of Health announced its plan to roll out AI scribes to 1,000 doctors and frontline staff in emergency departments nationwide following the success of earlier trials, with the tools tailored to New Zealand's clinical language and systems and reduce administrative load.

Re-Identifying Kākā with AI A recent Victoria University study explores using AI to re-identify individual kākā birds via video for conservation monitoring in New Zealand.

AI global

AI for sustainable materials discovery MIT and Imperial College London researchers have deployed AI to design low-carbon cement alternatives and recyclable polymers, cutting materials-testing time from years to weeks.

AI in agriculture and biodiversity AI is helping transform agriculture and ecosystem management across Australia and Europe. Researchers are using machine learning with satellite and drone imagery to forecast crop yields, monitor biodiversity, and track invasive species, improving food security and environmental sustainability.

Quantum readiness for engineers Quantum computers capable of breaking current encryption could emerge within 5 to 10 years. NIST has finalised three post-quantum cryptography standards, with migration targets set for 2035. Engineers in electronics and IoT sectors must act now to implement quantum-resistant security measures in connected devices and critical infrastructure before vulnerabilities are exploited.

OECD Science, Technology and Innovation Outlook 2025 The OECD’s new report highlights how nations are harnessing AI to improve productivity, sustainability, and resilience across energy, transport, and health sectors.

OECD AI Incidents Monitor The OECD AI Incidents Monitor offers a new evidence base for trustworthy AI, cataloguing global incidents and responses to guide best practice in governance and safety.

AI tools and software advancements

Microsoft Copilot Release Microsoft’s latest Copilot update improves usability and transparency, making it easier to see and verify where AI-generated content comes from. For users, this means more reliable responses, better integration across apps, and smoother collaboration in everyday workflows.

Microsoft Agent Framework preview Microsoft released a preview of its Agent Framework in early October, an open-source development kit for .NET and Python that enables developers to create individual AI agents or complex multi-agent workflows. This toolkit is democratising access to advanced agentic AI capabilities for engineering teams.

Claude Code now on the web Anthropic has made Claude Code accessible via a web interface, opening its AI coding assistant to a wider audience.

Claude Sonnet 4.5 was released on Anthropic on 29 September, the model achieves state-of-the-art performance on software engineering benchmarks and excels at building complex agents and multi-step reasoning tasks. It's now integrated into GitHub Copilot and available across major development environments, making advanced AI coding assistance more accessible to engineers."

Gemini Enterprise launches Google’s new enterprise platform integrates AI deeply into Google Workspace, offering workflow automation and an AI agent builder.

ChatGPT Atlas OpenAI launched Atlas on 21 October, an AI-native browser with ChatGPT embedded throughout the browsing experience. Atlas offers engineers advanced search, page summarisation, and an Agent Mode that can autonomously handle multi-step web tasks like research synthesis and data gathering. Currently available on macOS, with other platforms coming soon.

Perplexity at Work Perplexity AI has launched a workplace-focused research platform designed to streamline professional content generation and information retrieval. Its At Work report outlines how organisations globally are using AI to boost productivity while maintaining responsible oversight.

Ethics

AI and the environment A recent AP News feature highlights how, despite the heavy energy use of AI systems, new research is identifying ways AI can help reduce environmental impact through smarter energy management and climate modelling.

AI as Mother: Nobel Laureate Hinton on Coexisting with Superintelligence Nobel Laureate Geoff Hinton continues to call for open, international dialogue on how humanity can safely coexist with rapidly advancing AI systems.

Give it a go

This month’s tools to explore:

• Try Claude for Excel to automate calculations.
• Build a workflow using Gemini Enterprise’s new automation features.

As always, we encourage members to share AI insights, case studies or resources that could benefit the wider engineering community, or let us know what resources you would like to see us provide.

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