There is no reason why artificial intelligence (AI) wonât radically impact 3D printing, according to Adrian Bowyer, the originator of the RepRap project.
Bowyer, a TCT Hall of Famer, was discussing AI and 3D printing on the latest Additive Insight podcast, having previously delivered a presentation (âLook! A bandwagon! AI and 3D printingâ) on AI at the Sanjay Mortimer RepRap Festival (SMRRF).
In that presentation, Bowyer sought to put the hype around AI to one side and look instead at how AI technology could replace the role of a product designer. To articulate this idea, Bowyer displayed a range of two-dimensional artwork pieces generated by Midjourney, a generative artificial intelligence program, which is not ânecessarily completely replacing graphic artists,â but is creating artwork that is âremarkable.âHe has therefore concluded that AI could have a similar impact in the 3D printing space.
âI donât see any reason why AI systems shouldnât design three-dimensional objects in much the same way Midjourney designs two-dimensional pictures from a textual description given to them by a human being,â said Bowyer. âWeâre not quite there yet, but one of the things I wanted to do in my talk was to show, technically, one particular route by which that might have been achieved, which is not to say that itâs something that has been done yet.â
As the person who led the RepRap movement that spawned an entire market of desktop 3D printers, Bowyer is no stranger to hype. In the last year or two, AI has become the latest buzzword that technology providers wish to align with. But as somewhat of an expert in technology, Bowyer can see through the noise.
He appreciates that it is ârather gratifying and a positive thing about human natureâ that people become enthusiastic about a nascent technology, but also notes that said enthusiasm can run off in many different directions that are ultimately unproductive. In AI, though, there is legitimate reason for all the fanfare.
Bowyer describes AI as a general tool, quite like a computer, rather than a specific tool, such as a clock. A clock tells the time, but a computer can do almost anything if you put your mind to it. So too can AI.
âWe have an existence proof that intelligence is extraordinarily widely applicable,â Bowyer said. âItâs what human beings do with the contents of our own heads. We know that intelligence allows you to do all sorts of things as human beings that cats, chameleons, and cows canât do.
âSo, obviously, AI is going to change pretty much everything, and the more advanced it gets, the more it will change, simply because it gives us an alternative intelligence on the planet thatâs not yet equal to our own, but that is now visibly going to become equal to our own in the fairly near future. And I donât see any reason why it wonât radically impact 3D printing in addition to all the other places that itâs going to impact.â
Watch Adrian Bowyer’s TCT Hall of Fame acceptance speech
Eugen Boglaru is an AI aficionado covering the fascinating and rapidly advancing field of Artificial Intelligence. From machine learning breakthroughs to ethical considerations, Eugen provides readers with a deep dive into the world of AI, demystifying complex concepts and exploring the transformative impact of intelligent technologies.
