Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become one of the biggest talking points across the engineering industry. Over the past few years, we’ve seen AI evolve from simple automation tools into intelligent assistants capable of helping professionals make faster, more informed decisions.
When Dassault Systèmes first introduced its AI vision during the 3DEXPERIENCE World event, many engineers including myself were curious. The question wasn’t whether AI would become part of engineering software, but how it would genuinely improve the way we work every day.
With the introduction of AI-powered Virtual Companions in 3DEXPERIENCE 2026, Dassault Systèmes is taking a significant step towards a more intelligent and collaborative engineering experience.
Rather than creating one AI to handle every task, Dassault Systèmes has introduced three specialised Virtual Companions: Aura, Leo, and Marie. Each has its own area of expertise, working together to support engineers, designers, researchers and project teams throughout the product development lifecycle.
After learning more about these new capabilities, here are my thoughts on what they could mean for engineers and manufacturers.
AI That Understands Engineering
One thing that immediately stood out to me is that Dassault Systèmes isn’t positioning these as generic AI chatbots.
Instead, the Virtual Companions are built to work within the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, leveraging engineering knowledge, project context and Dassault Systèmes’ Industry World Models to provide more meaningful assistance throughout the design and development process.
For engineers, this is an important distinction.
We’re not looking for AI to write essays or answer general knowledge questions. We need tools that understand products, projects, engineering data and collaboration.
The aim isn’t to replace engineering expertise, it’s to reduce repetitive tasks, improve access to information and help teams make better decisions throughout product development.
Meet the Three AI-Powered Virtual Companions
Aura – Your Information and Collaboration Companion
The first Virtual Companion is Aura.
If you’ve ever spent valuable time searching for the latest project update, locating engineering documents or checking design revisions, you’ll immediately understand where Aura can make a difference.
Aura focuses on information, collaboration and project context across the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Rather than navigating multiple dashboards or searching through folders, users can ask Aura for the information they need in a more natural way.
Aura can help users:
- Retrieve project information across the platform
- Understand project context
- Stay updated on collaborative activities
- Improve visibility across engineering teams
- Access relevant information more efficiently
To me, Aura feels less like another search function and more like a knowledgeable colleague who already knows where everything is.
Leo – Your Engineering Design Companion
As someone who spends most of my time working with CAD and product design, Leo is the Virtual Companion I’m most excited about.
Leo has been developed to support engineering and product design through natural language interactions.
Instead of starting every project from a blank screen, engineers can communicate their design intent more naturally, allowing Leo to assist with concept development, engineering workflows and product design activities.
During Dassault Systèmes’ demonstrations, Leo showcased how AI can help accelerate conceptual design and reduce the time required to reach an initial engineering solution.
What I particularly like is that Leo isn’t presented as an engineer replacement.
Instead, it acts as a collaborative design companion, helping remove repetitive tasks so engineers can spend more time refining ideas, validating designs and solving technical challenges.
That’s where I believe AI provides the greatest value—not replacing creativity, but giving engineers a faster starting point.
Marie – Your Scientific Research Companion
Every engineering project eventually reaches the research stage.
Whether you’re selecting materials, investigating manufacturing processes or exploring new technologies, gathering reliable technical information can be time-consuming.
That’s where Marie comes in.
Marie has been designed as the scientific Virtual Companion, bringing expertise across areas such as:
- Materials science
- Chemistry
- Scientific research
- Laboratory knowledge
Formulations
Marie helps engineers explore technical knowledge, compare material options and better understand scientific concepts relevant to product development.
For organisations involved in research, innovation or advanced manufacturing, Marie has the potential to become an invaluable knowledge companion.
Personally, I like the idea of having scientific expertise available directly within the engineering platform instead of constantly switching between technical papers, databases and search engines.
My Thoughts on AI-powered Virtual Companions
The introduction of Aura, Leo and Marie marks an exciting milestone in the evolution of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.
Rather than replacing engineers, these AI-powered Virtual Companions are designed to work alongside us helping us collaborate more effectively, make informed decisions and spend more time innovating.
As these technologies continue to evolve, I’m looking forward to seeing how they’ll reshape engineering workflows and unlock new possibilities for product development.
If you’re interested in learning more about how these new AI capabilities can benefit your organisation, feel free to get in touch with our technical team. We’d be happy to share our insights and demonstrate how the platform can support your engineering journey. Feel free to reach out:
Email: sales@cadcam.com.my
WhatsApp: https://wa.link/0jj9tc
– Chai Chia Hin, Henry
Senior Solution Advisor