The engineering product sector is undergoing significant transformation as artificial intelligence matures from automating tasks to orchestrating the entire product lifecycle. Agentic AI stands at the forefront of this evolution, driving intelligent automation across design, manufacturing, operations, and maintenance. Infosys is uniquely positioned to help organizations leverage this paradigm, combining technical depth with a commitment to safety, efficiency, and compliance.
The Evolution of AI in Engineering
Engineering’s digital journey began with Knowledge-Based Engineering (KBE). KBE captured subject matter expertise in the form of rules and workflows, providing early structure for automating product development. While effective within defined boundaries, these systems struggled to adapt to real-world complexity.
The widespread integration of sensors brought a new era of connectivity. Real-time data acquisition improved operational efficiency, while machine learning enabled proactive maintenance and equipment diagnostics by analyzing time-series data.
Generative AI elevated these capabilities further. By automating search, summarization, and document authoring, GenAI tackled one of engineering’s core challenges: interpreting immense volumes of unstructured data scattered across reports, logs, and design documents. This allowed organizations to extract actionable insights and improved decision-making on a large scale.
Agentic AI: A New Paradigm
While these technologies delivered value, their benefits were often siloed. Realizing holistic efficiency across the product lifecycle demanded tightly integrated, flexible solutions. Agentic AI provides this orchestration by enabling seamless collaboration among specialized agents, systems, and human experts.
Four Pillars of Agentic AI
- Modularity: Processes are decomposed into discrete components, with agents assigned to specific tasks. This specialization supports precise optimization and system adaptability.
- Interoperability: Agentic AI integrates with core enterprise systems—Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Manufacturing Execution (MES), and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)—eliminating data silos and providing unified visibility.
- Human-in-the-Loop: While agents automate processes and generate insights, key decisions remain under human oversight, essential in safety-critical and regulatory scenarios.
- Scalability: Organizations can incrementally expand Agentic AI solutions, moving from pilot programs to broad enterprise adoption, reaping immediate and long-term benefits.
These characteristics promote continuous improvement, real-time responsiveness, and measurable operational savings.
Case Study: Aircraft MRO Transformation
Aircraft Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) exemplifies Agentic AI’s impact. Commercial MRO involves coordinating among engineers, manufacturers, suppliers, and regulators. With fleets exceeding 25,000 aircraft, global teams manage thousands of documents while minimizing costly aircraft-on-ground (AOG) time.
The Challenge
Damage can occur anywhere, affecting hard-to-access components. Reports arrive in varied formats—handwritten notes, low-resolution images, or incomplete descriptions—and must be cross-referenced against evolving regulatory directives. This complexity risks delays, errors, and extended AOG incidents.
Agentic AI Solution
A multi-agent architecture revolutionizes MRO:
- Central Orchestrator: Oversees end-to-end maintenance, directing resource allocation and timelines.
- Specialized Agents:
- Damage Detection Agent: Analyzes images and data for damage assessment.
- Document Intelligence Agent: Retrieves pertinent manuals and regulatory updates.
- Damage Severity Evaluator: Assesses urgency and repair needs.
- MRO Repair Agent: Plans actions and coordinates with suppliers and OEMs.
- Compliance and Supplier Agents: Ensure correct processes and sourcing.
Human oversight is integrated at crucial decision points, maintaining safety and regulatory standards.
Benefits
Infosys estimates that Agentic AI can reduce engineering effort by 60-70% and significantly decrease AOG duration. Immediate impacts include:
- End-to-end automation of inspection, planning, and compliance
- Real-time stakeholder collaboration
- Transparent, auditable decision-making for safety-critical operations
MRO teams benefit from streamlined processes, faster problem resolution, and enhanced regulatory alignment.
Broader Implications and Responsible AI
Agentic AI’s advancements go beyond the aviation sector, offering value across engineering, manufacturing, and operations. By breaking down barriers tied to infrastructure, data silos, and manual workflows, these intelligent systems drive new levels of efficiency and adaptability.
Crucially, Agentic AI enhances—not replaces—human expertise. Engineers focus on high-value, creative tasks while AI manages data analysis and compliance checks. Continuous learning and responsible human oversight are integral, ensuring ethical outcomes aligned with organizational and societal values.
At Infosys, responsible implementation is fundamental. Our approach emphasizes transparent, explainable, and auditable AI systems that adhere to global standards.
Conclusion: Engineering’s Next Chapter
Agentic AI is rapidly redefining how engineering organizations design, build, and support their products. As industries embrace this paradigm, they unlock not just technical efficiency but also strategic differentiation.
Infosys stands ready to support this transformation, offering the right combination of vision, expertise, and global execution to help enterprises navigate their next. The future of engineering is intelligent, integrated, and within reach. The opportunity is here—let’s shape it together.
Author – Dr. Ravi Kumar G. V. V., Vice President & Unit Technology Officer, Engineering Services, Infosys Limited
