Nashville, TN — At Autodesk University 2025, the focus of the Design and Manufacturing keynote was unmistakable: AI is now the defining force in product design and industrial production. Executives positioned Autodesk Fusion—the company’s end-to-end, cloud-native industry platform for manufacturing—as the centerpiece of this shift.
The morning opened with a surprise: country music artist Maggie Baugh, whose song about collecting experiences rather than money set the tone. “All I want at the end of my life is just a good story to tell,” she sang. Picking up the metaphor, Autodesk leaders framed the keynote as an industry story still being written—with AI now turning the page.
A New Paradigm Shift
Jeff Kinder, Autodesk’s EVP of Product Development for Design and Manufacturing, traced the last two revolutions in CAD: parametric modeling in the 1980s, and Windows-based CAD in the 1990s. Both, he argued, brought huge productivity gains and new customers into the market. AI, he said, is the third paradigm shift—and one that promises even greater rewards.
“AI is no longer a buzzword,” Jeff said. “It’s the catalyst of innovation, reshaping how we design, build, and manufacture. Those who embrace it early will reap the greatest rewards.
Fusion, he declared, is now the AI-native manufacturing cloud, bringing together design, make, and operations.
Steelcase: Fusion in Action
To illustrate, Autodesk showcased Steelcase, the 112-year-old office furniture maker. Designers are using Fusion to cut iteration times and accelerate validation.
- Engineers move from CAD to CAM in “literally one click.”
- Teams co-edit models in real time, “like playing tennis.”
- A new Revit plugin lets architects visualize spaces with Steelcase furniture inside their BIM workflows.
“Fusion allows us to adapt our products faster,” one Steelcase leader said. “That’s why we’re still in business after 100 years”.
The Three Phases of AI
Autodesk executives broke down their AI strategy into three phases:
- Task Automation – Removing inefficiencies in drawings, constraints, toolpaths. Already, 5 million automated drawing dimensions have been generated, and Fusion now auto-creates constraints every 15 seconds across its user base.
- Workflow Automation – Converging tasks into streamlined processes. Example: generating editable CAD geometry directly from a text prompt (“design a modern air fryer”).
- Systems Automation – AI models that connect workflows, predict failures, and cascade changes across entire systems—what Hooper called “doing what was impossible yesterday.”
Data as the New Currency
Srinath Jonnalagadda, VP of Data Management, then took the stage to argue that data is the raw material of AI.
“Data isn’t glamorous,” he said. “But it’s the Alfred to our Batman, the Jarvis to our Iron Man. Without structured metadata, AI is powerless”.
Autodesk is pushing three levels of data connectivity:
- Connected Product Development: Seamless collaboration across design teams, with AI onboarding and natural-language permissions.
- Connected Organization: Integrated PLM inside Fusion, eliminating manual, error-prone BOM reconciliations.
- Connected Ecosystem: Data flowing across PLM, MES, ERP, and QMS, with open APIs so companies like Bridgestone can surface live data in their own dashboards.
A key announcement: Autodesk has acquired OneIPM, a cloud-native project management tool. Soon, Fusion will integrate PDM, PLM, and project management in a single environment.
AI as a Teammate: Autodesk Assistant
The Autodesk Assistant, previously positioned as a contextual chatbot, is evolving into an AI teammate across Vault, Fusion, and Inventor.
- In Vault, Assistant will allow conversational search (“find that fan motor from last year”), then update drawings on command.
- In Fusion, it will streamline onboarding, grant permissions, and manage BOM updates with natural language.
- Across the portfolio, Assistant will help automate repetitive tasks, freeing engineers for higher-value design.
MotorScrubber: Doubling Production
As proof, Autodesk presented MotorScrubber, a UK-based maker of cleaning machines. By connecting design, manufacturing, procurement, and quality data in Fusion’s PLM, the company doubled weekly production of its flagship Drift floor cleaner.
“Every department is aligned, every update instantaneous,” Autodesk said. “This is what happens when teams and data are connected”.
The Day in the Life: AI Across the Lifecycle
Steve Hooper, VP, Design & Manufacturing Product Development at Autodesk, walked through a “day in the life” demo of a consumer products manufacturer.
In Alias, the Form Explorer tool now learns a carmaker’s brand language, generating design variants that respect historical styling cues while optimizing aerodynamics. “Instead of fighting proportions, designers collaborate with AI,” Hooper said.
In Fusion, generative prompts yield editable solid models, not “dead geometry.” Designers can refine them with sketches, while AI ensures manufacturability.
Engineering Lifecycle: Natural Language CAD
Fusion now supports auto-constraints, eliminating hours of manual dimensioning. AI bridges mechanical and electronic design by converging PCB layouts with mechanical CAD, pulling components directly from partners like Azure.
For executives, Assistant auto-generates PowerPoint decks by pulling design renders and metadata into Microsoft 365, saving engineers from “days lost to slides.”
Manufacturing: Systems Automation
Fusion’s new Systems Automation Modeler learns machining patterns. Once a part is programmed, future variants can be auto-programmed—“you’ll never have to reprogram a similar part again.”
Autodesk announced a partnership with Toolpath, whose AI automates quoting, setup, and machining strategies. Integrated GPU simulation validates toolpaths instantly.
Production: Factories in the Cloud
Autodesk has integrated FlexSim with Inventor and AutoCAD factory utilities. Users can import scans, 2D layouts, or CAD assets to simulate operations, optimize line layouts, and validate against BIM data before breaking ground.
Operators can now aggregate Inventor and Revit factory data inside ACC, spotting clashes before construction. “The future is an AI-powered, self-adapting factory,” Hooper said.
Closing: An Era of Making
Returning to the stage, Jeff Kinder tied the threads together:
- AI is not about replacing human ingenuity but amplifying it.
- Connected data is the foundation.
- Fusion is the AI-native cloud for manufacturing.
“We are living in times that reward bold action,” Jeff concluded. “This new era of making isn’t happening to us—it’s happening through us. Together, we have a story to tell”.
For Autodesk, the play is clear: Fusion is no longer a design tool—it’s the entire lifecycle.