Autodesk pitches 'Project Intelligence', an AI assistant that turns stated intent into design work

AEC Magazine reported on 16 October 2026 that Autodesk used Autodesk University 2026 to present 'Project Intelligence', which CEO Andrew Anagnost described in his keynote as a connected brain that brings every data point, decision and discipline together and grows smarter as a project advances. Unlike the last two events, which focused on time-saving features in individual CAD and BIM tools, the pitch was an AI assistant that turns a user's stated intent into work they can review, refine and use, without navigating products, workflows, data and complex interfaces. On the expo floor, AEC Magazine's Greg Corke also found a growing appetite for local AI that keeps data and costs under control.

What it means If the main design-software vendor moves from tools to an assistant that does the work, how practices staff projects and check deliverables will change.