Autodesk has announced an update to its expansion of AI across its Product Design & Manufacturing portfolio (PD&M), with AI tools announced for Fusion, Inventor, Moldflow and more.
Jeff Kinder, executive VP of PD&M solutions at Autodesk, summarised the additions, first announced at Autodesk University 2025, as Autodesk helping define and lead the shift to AI for customers as it reshapes the industry.
“Our approach combines frontier models with Autodesk’s proprietary industry-specific models, purpose-built to understand 3D design and make workflows, all with the goal of delivering practical, relevant AI that helps customers be more productive,” he said, adding that the new Autodesk AI capabilities will first appear in Autodesk Assistant.
Designed to understand design and engineering workflows, Autodesk Assistant brings industry specific context to help execute tasks and orchestrate actions across CAD, and not simply answer questions. Autodesk Assistant is now live across products in the PD&M portfolio.
In Fusion, Autodesk Assistant has prompt-to-API capabilities that let AI access almost all of Fusion’s functionality, while adding streamlined onboarding and a redesigned, context-aware experience.
In Inventor, Kinder explains that Assistant has the ability to perform complex tasks or gather information from designs without writing any code. Equally, in Moldflow, Assistant streamlines the simulation process by providing immediate, in-context assistance, guiding users through result interpretation and troubleshooting.
In Autodesk Vault, Assistant helps users locate information faster, learn features in context and complete everyday data management tasks using natural language.
For customers wanting customisable AI-enabled workflows outside the Fusion application, Autodesk have announced two public Model Context Protocols (MCPs). These offer developers and technical teams the option to extend Autodesk tools to fit their needs in their own environment.
Autodesk says that the Fusion MCP will allow customers to extend Fusion with an AI-powered MCP that connects their tools, automates routine work, and supports how their teams design, engineer, and build. Meanwhile, Autodesk Fusion Data MCP enables understanding. It brings Fusion design data into the modern AI workflow by searching, understanding, and managing designs with context.
“In practice, teams can use these MCPs to connect Fusion to their internal systems, automate multi-step engineering workflows, or query and reuse design data across projects, all powered by AI agents tailored to how they already work,” explains Kinder.
He concluded: “We’re focused on offering a range of options that meet customers where they are. Together, the Autodesk Assistant and Fusion MCPs open the door to a new class of AI-driven workflows inside and beyond Fusion – all with a goal of helping manufacturers increase productivity and grow their businesses.”
