Keynote: AI for Simulation Engineers: Looking Beyond the Hype

Jean-Francois Labrecque, Maya HTT

Artificial intelligence is now a priority in most engineering organisations, but many simulation teams are still asking a basic question: what does it mean for day-to-day work? This keynote gives a practical read on the AI landscape for simulation, the trends worth watching, and a way to tell where AI adds real value rather than replacing engineering judgement.

It closes with two working examples: an AI assistant that uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to interact directly with simulation models, and a knowledge assistant that draws on heritage data to help engineers reach better decisions faster. You leave with a grounded view of what the current tools can and cannot do, and ideas you can apply in your own team.

Jean-Francois Labrecque has more than 15 years in spacecraft engineering, including roles at the Canadian Space Agency and MDA Space. As a team lead at Maya HTT, he works on thermal analysis, simulation workflows and AI-enabled engineering.