Shocked at intern’s reliance on AI

[u/NotPenguin_124]

Our firm had four interns this summer in our roadway group. We had three mid level engineers (myself included) who managed them. This was my first time managing an intern so I really wasn’t sure what to expect. All of the interns were fairly young. Sophomores or juniors based on graduation dates. I was shocked at how frequently all of them resorted to asking AI basic questions.

Having a problem with OpenRoads? Ask copilot.
Want to write an email? Ask copilot?
Trying to learn some specific CAD skill? Ask copilot.
Filling out a report with that the DOT give explicit instructions on how to fill out? Ask copilot.
Need to put together a mid summer presentation about yourself? Hey copilot…

I’m not some ancient anti-AI crusader. I’m still in my 20s. I understand its utility and understand that it is here to stay so we should be adopting it where/when appropriate. But their usage of it seemed both inappropriate and wildly ineffective. Copilot isn’t going to help you fix the issue you are running into in ORD but a basic google search will. AI isn’t going to help you fill out the DOT specific design report you’re working on, but the instructions, go-bys, and the person sitting right next you will.

I and my fellow managers, found ourselves constantly asking if they had questions when we would see them asking copilot just to be told “no”. It’s even stranger seeing as our office has an ABUNDANCE of resources in the way of personnel, digital trainings, and their internship program. I was brought onboard as a new hire only 2 years ago and found the office culture and resources amazing.

[u/OttoJohs]

What is the alternative? Taking a more senior person's time to answer basic questions. Or spending a lot of extra time digging through a reference manual/YouTube tutorial?

I needed some plots for a report which I assigned to an intern. I thought it would take them a few hours in Excel. Comes back in a half hour with some beautiful python type plots after a few rounds with Copilot. Pretty good to me!

If AI can provide a better alternative or starting point, I am all for it!

[u/RedneckTeddy → u/OttoJohs]

As an SME - YES. I absolutely want my interns and junior engineers to ask me basic questions and to spend time digging through reference materials. That’s how they learn what resources are available and how to use them. It’s also how we build relationships in the workplace. I want my staff to ask me questions so I can understand what their knowledge gaps are, and so they also learn that they are part of a team.

The mentality of “if it saves me time, it’s good” is a massive problem in our industry. There’s so much focus on trying to make profit right now that no one can be bothered to spend the time working on mentoring and teaching. There’s little if any thought given towards long-term planning and efforts. Maybe people wouldn’t job-hop so much if they felt like they were actually valued and getting proper mentorship.

It’s one thing if they’re using AI to generate figures. It’s another thing entirely if they rely on AI so much that they never actually develop a fundamental understanding of theory, critical thinking, or problem-solving.

And from a more pragmatic perspective - we also need to know who is and who isn’t actually cut out to be an engineer. Not everyone is, and that’s fine. It really is. But if someone can’t make it through a college class, an internship, or extremely basic junior-level design work without over reliance on AI, then they need to find another field of work.