Unleashing Innovation: Autodesk Researchers at AU 2023

AU 2023, Autodesk’s annual Design and Make Conference, kicked off yesterday in Vegas, and the Autodesk Research team doubled down on content, sessions, and presentations.

During the General Session, President and CEO Andrew Anagnost greeted the “talented makers of everything” in attendance before announcing Autodesk AI, technology that unlocks creativity, helps solve problems, and eliminates non-productive work across the industries we serve. AI was a key theme of the General Session, with presenters discussing how AI can solve real world problems and revolutionize how we design and make.

Amy Bunszel, Executive Vice President, Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Design Solutions, also talked about Autodesk’s work on Project Phoenix to help address the housing crisis. Kicking off in West Oakland, MBH Architects are using Autodesk Forma and working with Factory_OS to explore options to meet the complex project goal of quickly, efficiently, and sustainably delivering more than 300 modular housing units.

Autodesk Researchers shared their work in multiple sessions, mostly available for in-person conference attendees, spanning a variety of topics and themes. Two Research presentations streamed early in the day to help kickoff AU: AI-Powered Workflows in Maya: Leveraging Large Language Models for Intuitive Interactions, with Bruno Roy, Principal AI Research Scientist, and Beyond Bricks and Mortar: Digital Transformation Approach to Infrastructure, presented by Fope Bademosi, Circular Economy and Construction Researcher, and Magdalena Kowalczyk, Senior Research Engineer.

During a Research presentation, The Sky’s the Limit: How Drone Research Drives Innovation in Rural Oregon, session participants seemed initially most interested in learning about drone technology and the cool work being done with them, but left with a different takeaway.

“I think a lot of people showed up to learn what the ‘secret drone’ research is,” said Gabby Patin, Strategic Research Manager at Autodesk. “But they left with insights about how to build meaningful impact and jobs in rural communities.”

More digital content will be available soon, and we’ll be sure to share it here for you to continue learning and engaging with our Researchers. Be sure to tune into AU more great content online and in-person!