Requiring CS & AI May Not Meet Industry’s True Needs
Requiring CS & AI May Not Meet Industry’s True Needs
As many policymakers and others recommend that computer science and AI be core U.S. educational requirements, not everyone in the industry agrees this action will best address engineers’ needs.
As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes engineering, design, and manufacturing, many policymakers and industry leaders recommend that it and computer science should be a core graduation requirement in U.S. schools. Several states have already moved in this direction. But not everyone agrees that this would address the most pressing needs of tomorrow’s engineers.
Mechanical engineers who lead major firms are among those saying that AI must become second nature. Andrew Anagnost, President and CEO of Autodesk, is one of them. Trained as a mechanical engineer, Anagnost has repeatedly stressed that AI literacy is fundamental to the profession’s future.
“If the coding models are going to be doing the code for you, what’s more important is that you understand there’s this whole notion of systems-level and interdisciplinary thinking,” he told Business Insider.
At Autodesk’s 2024 “Design & Make” event, he also emphasized how deeply AI is tied to industry challenges: “AI can help people literally do more with less… There’s not enough people, materials, or money to make or remake or rebuild everything that needs to be made or rebuilt. AI can help solve some of these capacity problems.”
Autodesk has put this belief into action by opening the Autodesk Technology Engagement Center at California State University, Northridge, where AI, design and manufacturing training is provided not only to undergraduates but also to K–12 students in the surrounding community.
Autodesk’s 2024 Career Readiness report found that nearly half of U.S. college students don’t believe they’re learning the right AI skills to land a job, 70 percent say they want classes focused on solving real-world problems, and less than 40 percent feel they have access to the industry-grade tools they’ll be expected to use on the job.
Several state legislatures and boards of education are moving quickly, with as many as 12 states (as of September 2025) requiring current or future high school graduating classes to earn CS/AI credits, according to Code.org. Here’s where a few states stand:
The urgency of learning and using these tools has increased exponentially since. Axios reports that the Brookings Institution found that students who attend high schools that offer a computer science course earn 8 percent higher salaries than those who don’t, regardless of career path or whether they attend college. The story adds that the effects are more significant for students who haven’t historically been well represented in computer science fields, such as women and students from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds.
Not everyone is convinced that adding CS and AI requirements in high school or college solves the industry’s real skills gap. AEC consultant Richard Friedman argues that engineers are already teaching themselves most of the relevant technical tools that they’ll need as professionals. What they lack more urgently, he said, are business and people skills.
“There won’t be a lot of pushback from engineers to take computer science or AI because they’re already doing this at an advanced level on their own,” said Friedman, president of Friedman & Partners, which focuses on business management and human resources issues for engineering and design firms. “A more pressing issue is that they’re not adept at or trained in the basic capabilities of running a business. Areas such as financial literacy, business development, people management, and other so-called softer skills.”
Friedman’s critique highlights a tension. On one hand, AI promises efficiency gains by reducing the need for routine communication or manual tasks. On the other, this same reliance can further erode opportunities to develop interpersonal and business acumen. Putting more focus on CS and AI can actually exacerbate the “softer skills” problem, Friedman added. “One of the primary features of AI is that it makes it easier for people to not have to deal with other people.”
For mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) engineering firms, the situation is even less defined. While companies like Autodesk or Microsoft tout AI’s potential, the value proposition for day-to-day engineering practice is still evolving. Friedman noted that it isn’t yet “fully codified how MEP firms are going to, or should, use AI in their practices.” As a result, the rush to formalize CS and AI graduation requirements seems premature.
This doesn’t mean AI and CS shouldn’t be taught. In 2025 and beyond, it’s difficult to envision a mechanical engineer thriving without at least a basic understanding of these quickly advancing tools. But Friedman’s view underscores the need for balance. AI education alone won’t make young engineers effective contributors, and an intensified focus on it could actually be counterproductive to success.
As more states require computer science and AI in schools, the engineering profession will benefit from graduates arriving with stronger digital fluency. But industry leaders caution against seeing this as the full solution. Anagnost’s vision of AI-enabled design and Lipson’s insistence that “you can do it better if you understand AI” are compelling. Yet Friedman’s reminder is equally urgent: “The real skills that engineers are weak in are operations, management, and business development.”
For mechanical engineers, the path forward may not be either/or. Schools and professional societies like ASME can advocate for a dual focus: ensuring that engineers are digitally fluent and business literate, equally capable of prompting an algorithm and leading a client conversation. This balance, more than any single mandate, will determine how well the profession adapts to the AI age.
Jerry Guerra is an independent writer in Lynnfield, Mass.
Mechanical engineers who lead major firms are among those saying that AI must become second nature. Andrew Anagnost, President and CEO of Autodesk, is one of them. Trained as a mechanical engineer, Anagnost has repeatedly stressed that AI literacy is fundamental to the profession’s future.
“If the coding models are going to be doing the code for you, what’s more important is that you understand there’s this whole notion of systems-level and interdisciplinary thinking,” he told Business Insider.
At Autodesk’s 2024 “Design & Make” event, he also emphasized how deeply AI is tied to industry challenges: “AI can help people literally do more with less… There’s not enough people, materials, or money to make or remake or rebuild everything that needs to be made or rebuilt. AI can help solve some of these capacity problems.”
Autodesk has put this belief into action by opening the Autodesk Technology Engagement Center at California State University, Northridge, where AI, design and manufacturing training is provided not only to undergraduates but also to K–12 students in the surrounding community.
Autodesk’s 2024 Career Readiness report found that nearly half of U.S. college students don’t believe they’re learning the right AI skills to land a job, 70 percent say they want classes focused on solving real-world problems, and less than 40 percent feel they have access to the industry-grade tools they’ll be expected to use on the job.
The policy momentum
Several state legislatures and boards of education are moving quickly, with as many as 12 states (as of September 2025) requiring current or future high school graduating classes to earn CS/AI credits, according to Code.org. Here’s where a few states stand:
- Alabama: The Alabama State Board of Education adopted a policy last year requiring computer science for graduation beginning with the class of 2032. This year, the state’s House of Representatives approved a bill that would require all high school students to complete a computer science course, including content on AI and quantum computing.
- Tennessee: Beginning with the class of 2028, students must take at least one CS course to graduate from high school.
- North Carolina: A 2023 law phases in CS requirements for high school graduation, starting with the class of 2027.
- California: Bills recently passed or under consideration would embed AI literacy into state standards and set up guidance for school districts on CS curriculum.
- Ohio: By 2026, all districts must adopt policies for how AI is used in classrooms.
- Massachusetts: Requires all public schools to offer computer science courses.
- Others: More than half of U.S. states now issue formal AI guidance for schools.
The urgency of learning and using these tools has increased exponentially since. Axios reports that the Brookings Institution found that students who attend high schools that offer a computer science course earn 8 percent higher salaries than those who don’t, regardless of career path or whether they attend college. The story adds that the effects are more significant for students who haven’t historically been well represented in computer science fields, such as women and students from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds.
What about business skills?
Not everyone is convinced that adding CS and AI requirements in high school or college solves the industry’s real skills gap. AEC consultant Richard Friedman argues that engineers are already teaching themselves most of the relevant technical tools that they’ll need as professionals. What they lack more urgently, he said, are business and people skills.
“There won’t be a lot of pushback from engineers to take computer science or AI because they’re already doing this at an advanced level on their own,” said Friedman, president of Friedman & Partners, which focuses on business management and human resources issues for engineering and design firms. “A more pressing issue is that they’re not adept at or trained in the basic capabilities of running a business. Areas such as financial literacy, business development, people management, and other so-called softer skills.”
Ready for Reshoring
Mechanical engineers are vital to any reshoring efforts, but preparation ahead of such shifts will be critical.
For mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) engineering firms, the situation is even less defined. While companies like Autodesk or Microsoft tout AI’s potential, the value proposition for day-to-day engineering practice is still evolving. Friedman noted that it isn’t yet “fully codified how MEP firms are going to, or should, use AI in their practices.” As a result, the rush to formalize CS and AI graduation requirements seems premature.
What engineers really need
This doesn’t mean AI and CS shouldn’t be taught. In 2025 and beyond, it’s difficult to envision a mechanical engineer thriving without at least a basic understanding of these quickly advancing tools. But Friedman’s view underscores the need for balance. AI education alone won’t make young engineers effective contributors, and an intensified focus on it could actually be counterproductive to success.As more states require computer science and AI in schools, the engineering profession will benefit from graduates arriving with stronger digital fluency. But industry leaders caution against seeing this as the full solution. Anagnost’s vision of AI-enabled design and Lipson’s insistence that “you can do it better if you understand AI” are compelling. Yet Friedman’s reminder is equally urgent: “The real skills that engineers are weak in are operations, management, and business development.”
For mechanical engineers, the path forward may not be either/or. Schools and professional societies like ASME can advocate for a dual focus: ensuring that engineers are digitally fluent and business literate, equally capable of prompting an algorithm and leading a client conversation. This balance, more than any single mandate, will determine how well the profession adapts to the AI age.
Jerry Guerra is an independent writer in Lynnfield, Mass.
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