Augment, Automate, Analyze: The AU 2023 Recap

What if you could understand the impacts of your design decisions—on your budget, your schedule, your end users, and the planet we all live on—while still in the concepting phase? What if you could spend less time on tedious and repetitive tasks and more time focused on creative work that helps you stand apart from the competition?  What if you could turn the disruption from rapid advances in AI and other technologies into new opportunities for your career, your company, and your industry?  

These were some of the questions that were explored at AU 2023. Over the course of three days, more than 12,000 professionals from the fields of architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, and media and entertainment came together to connect, share knowledge, and explore new possibilities for how we design and make. With more than 600 classes, dozens of Meetups and Theater talks, and a few big announcements from the main stage, it was an incredible experience.  

The conference kicked off with General Session, where Autodesk President and CEO Andrew Anagnost introduced Autodesk AI—technology that can help Design and Make professionals unlock creativity and solve problems in new ways.  

In General Session on day two, Autodesk COO Steve Blum shared inspiration and insight focused on how we can all be a force for positive change in our industries and our world. And he welcomed changemaker Ryan Reynolds to the stage to share his thoughts on how we can build better—and how Autodesk is supporting the Group Effort Initiative.  

In the Media & Entertainment Industry Forum, we learned how Autodesk Flow is helping artists, directors, and producers work together more effectively by putting data, not files, at the center of the collaborative process.  

The Design & Manufacturing Industry Forum showcased how the Fusion industry cloud streamlines processes across the entire design and manufacturing lifecycle, integrating CAD, CAM, CAE, and PCB design. 

The AEC Design Industry Forum unpacked how the Autodesk Design and Make Platform can help architects, engineers, and builders get maximum value from project data, to make important decisions early in collaboration with confidence. 

In the Autodesk Platform Services Forum, we learned about the foundation that the Autodesk industry clouds are built on—and the APIs that make it possible to share data with the right people at the right time for the right purpose.   

The Construction Industry Forum highlighted how we can put data to work in new ways on the construction site, and how Autodesk Workshop XR can help construction professionals identify and resolve clashes before construction begins.  

Through it all, the power of community came through. Transformation isn’t an individual journey after all, it’s something we do together. And while advances in technology may be the force driving change, those same technologies are also what will enable us to adapt.  

It was an incredible week and the learning isn’t over. Many of the AU 2023 sessions will be available on the AU website soon. Stay tuned for details.