Will Engineers Become Obsolete?
The Role of Engineers in an Age of Innovation
This question comes up in many forms periodically, usually driven by some news about a new application of artificial intelligence, or AI, as it’s commonly known.
First, let’s talk about what engineers do. RF engineers are electronic engineers whose focus is in the area of Radio Frequency (RF) circuit and system development. However, even in this seemingly narrow definition, there are a great many sub-disciplines to be found. For example, we have RF engineers whose specialty is antenna design. Others specialize in digital signal processing (DSP), and still others work with the mechanical aspects of RF design. The common aspect of RF engineering is that all of us work specifically with an eye towards the realization of a product that uses radio frequency or wireless signals.
The Future of Engineering in the Digital Age
Now that we’ve answered the question, what do engineers do? Let’s look at the question, will engineers become obsolete? One way to respond is to re-ask a similar question I have heard through the years: “Will computers and synthesizers eliminate the need for human musicians?” Or maybe an even better example would be to look at the self-driving, autonomous automobile industry.
To be blunt, musicians are still with us, despite the fact that synthesizers and computers have been around for decades, and the recent bankruptcy (and employee layoffs) of Argo AI ( a self driving car startup, backed by several major automakers) speaks volumes about the ability of computers, even advanced computers, to competently handle tasks that humans do effortlessly all the time.
The Human Element: Creativity Beyond Computation
There is, perhaps, a more subtle aspect of this to consider, and one far more important. The autonomous car problem will likely be solved in the future by more capable systems, but the musician problem takes the discussion to a whole new level–that of creativity.
There is a lot of talk about computers eventually becoming sentient, or self-aware. While it may be possible to write a program that simulates self-awareness, it will still be just that, a program that creates a simulation.
That being said, I have seen articles about computers that compose music, which, of course, can be played using synthesizers. That’s creative, right? Well, technically, I suppose the answer is yes. But there’s a catch… It seems that virtually all of the music composed is created from programs that use a framework based on other, human, composers. In other words, someone has programmed a computer to compose music that sounds like something Mozart would have written, as an example.
Interestingly, while one can hear the Mozartian concepts in such artificially composed music, it falls way short of the original mastery that was used to develop the framework the computer used for composition. It turns out that humans instinctively know what other humans like, and computers have a hard time with that.
Imagination is Engineering’s Past, Present, and Future
Einstein got it right when he said, “Scientists investigate that which already is. Engineers create that which has never been.” What does this have to do with engineering? Well, let’s go back to the original question. Will engineers become obsolete? At its core, engineering is a creative effort, and while there are many software programs that can assist an engineer with his work, ultimately it is the engineer who must create the product that is needed, or, perhaps even more basic, imagine the product in the first place.
Walt Disney coined the term “Imagineering,” which elegantly expresses what good engineering is all about. While the average person enjoying a day at Disneyland sees the veneer of imagination, it is really the “bones” of imagineering that holds it all together and makes it work.
RDG incorporates Disney’s philosophy of Imagineering, pushing us to develop new ideas and designs for our ever-changing technological world. Our process is dynamic, often coloring outside the standard lines of design and development. Our team of engineers, technicians, and support staff are encouraged to create solutions that are not yet discovered or utilized, inspired by the legacy of the innovators who have gone before us… And perhaps that is why engineers will never be obsolete!