Antonio Arcidiacono, Director of Technology & Innovation, EBU
As we stand on the edge of a new industrial revolution, the frontier of new technologies that combine artificial intelligence with advanced automation and data analytics is triggering a profound transformation in the engineering domain. A novel professional figure, whose inspiration predates the Industrial Revolution, is arising: the renaissance engineer. Embodying the spirit of the Renaissance, this person blends deep technical expertise with creativity and inventive problem-solving while mastering cutting-edge AI tools.
My education in Italy may have biased me: I studied for 13 years in a Leonardo da Vinci institute – a network of independent schools honouring da Vinci’s interdisciplinary genius – and pursued engineering at the University of Pisa, in Tuscany, with a very broad curriculum spanning electronics, telecoms and computer science to mechanics and structural engineering. This path was not constrained by traditional disciplinary silos but inspired by historical precursors – da Vinci, as mentioned, but also Arcimboldo, Michelangelo, and others who excelled across art, science, and engineering.
Reviving innovation
The final decades of the 20th century saw a spirit of industrial innovation in Europe and the West. These were the years of the TGV, Ariane, Airbus, Olivetti, Nokia, GSM and DVB. This spirit has since faded, to the advantage of a few global companies that maximize their dominance and financial returns while local industries in many countries have declined, creating areas of economic depression and reducing our ability to be artisans of our own destiny. A new generation of builders, boosted by the power of AI tools, can revive this spirit.
The emerging renaissance engineers should possess a sophisticated understanding of traditional engineering principles while integrating the tools and workflows of AI: agile innovators at the intersection of disciplines.
They should stand on a solid foundation of mathematics, physics, systems design, and problem-solving, coupled with an appreciation for how technology drives business value. Mastering classical principles, they must also be unafraid to break barriers using advanced technologies.
The additional skillset this new figure brings is the ability to design, deploy, and iterate on AI-driven workflows, leveraging agentic coding tools, prompt engineering to fine-tune large language models, mastering RAGs (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), and autonomous intelligent agents.
The renaissance engineer must translate vague concepts into concrete designs and implementations, using tools like generative AI, low-code/no-code platforms, and collaborative cloud-based simulations. They should iterate rapidly from abstract ideas to fully functional products, greatly reducing time-to-market.
Their versatility should empower them to navigate across different domains and sectors – designing AI-empowered media workflows, devising mechanical systems, automating medical processes, or developing sustainable data-informed engineering solutions.
Human-centred
Building a new Renaissance, true to the ethos of the original, the renaissance engineer also considers the ethical and societal implications of AI systems, prioritizing responsible design, and ensuring fairness, transparency and alignment with human values.
The renaissance engineer is thus not only a technical innovator but also a catalyser for human progress, championing the democratization of knowledge and lowering barriers to participation in the engineering process. They will be the ones to create solutions for global challenges – from climate change mitigation and renewable energy to healthcare and education.
The emergence of this new universal engineer signals a shift in industry and education. Universities and progressive organizations must embrace this broad, interdisciplinary skills paradigm, blending traditional engineering training with dedicated curricula in AI workflows, ethical reasoning, and rapid prototyping. The renaissance engineer is a professional figure leading humanity into the AI era, preserving the visionary spirit of the past while engineering a smarter, fairer, and more connected future.
This article first appeared in the December 2025 issue of tech-i magazine.