Engineering, the Profession in Trouble: Lack of Programme Development Standards That Support the AI Chatbot? A System View

As the world embraces the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI), large language models (LLM), and conversational agents also known as chatbots, the engineering profession stands at a crucial juncture. This paper critically examines the current state of engineering education and its readiness to incorporate AI chatbots effectively. Focusing on the lack of standardized programme development that supports AI chatbots, this paper sheds light on the implications of this gap for engineering education. Standardization is defined as the degree to which educational programmes meet common national and international quality standards. By synthesizing existing literature, this study investigates the challenges, opportunities, and strategies required to bridge this divide and ensure that engineering programmes are adequately equipped to produce graduates who can harness the power of AI chatbots. We found that strong and continuing trends are emerging in the use of AI and chatbots in engineering education and industry. We further noted that current standards from accreditation bodies need to respond to enable AI and chatbot incorporation from curriculum to pedagogical levels of engineering education. Industry-academia partnerships are vital in managing the integration of AI into engineering education.