Can generative AI finally democratize industrial design? We explore with Dr. Christian Heining breakthroughs, challenges, and the future of CAD with AI.

We have a new podcast partner - please welcome NXAI!

In this episode, I dive deep into the evolving world of AI-driven CAD and CAM with Dr. Christian Heining. We unpack why generative AI is capturing the attention of industrial designers and whether the latest integrations—like Anthropic’s connector for Autodesk Fusion—are truly game-changing or just another step on a long journey.

Dr. Heining shares real-world experiments, candid takes on current limitations, and what it means for both startups and big players in the industrial AI space. We discuss the speed of change, the challenges of adapting teams to new tools, and what’s still missing before AI can fully transform the machine-building industry. If you’re curious about the intersection of AI, engineering, and the future of design, this episode is a must-listen.

NXAI

CAD Paper

Anthropic

Autodesk Fusion

Onshape

Dassault Systèmes

OpenAI

Gemini (Google AI)

Opus 4.7 (OpenAI Model)

Andrej Karpathy