Leadership Breakfast: Engineering the Future: Harnessing AI for Strategic Growth and Innovation
Date and Time
Tuesday Sep 16, 2025
8:00 PM - 10:00 PM CDT
September 16th
8:00am - 8:30 am Registration and Breakfast
8:30 am - 10:00am Program
Location
Thornhill Room
Edina Country Club
5100 Wooddale Ave, Edina, MN 55424
Parking is available onsite
Fees/Admission
$50
Description
Engineering the Future: Harnessing AI for Strategic Growth and Innovation
Presented by Joe Bates, Senior Research Consultant, ACEC Research Institute
The engineering industry stands at a historic inflection point—and artificial intelligence is the catalyst. Join us for a forward-looking keynote that explores how AI is transforming the business of engineering and what it means for firm leaders in Minnesota and beyond. Drawing on the groundbreaking research from the ACEC Research Institute’s Firm of the Future initiative, this session will illuminate how AI is no longer a distant concept but an active force reshaping design, project delivery, client engagement, and workforce dynamics.
This keynote will deliver powerful insights from the ACEC Research Institute’s national study, including:
- How AI is augmenting—not replacing—engineering talent
- Key operational and technical use cases
- The strategic role of AI in firm competitiveness
- Barriers and risks to adoption
- The future vision of AI as a real-time design companion
Key Takeaways:
- Understand AI’s tangible ROI and strategic advantages for engineering firms
- Learn how to prepare your firm to lead—not follow—the digital transformation
- Discover actionable steps for moving from pilot projects to enterprise-wide adoption