Engineering Concerns About Artificial Intelligence

May 1, 2025

Four top editors talk about engineering issues that often emerge when using artificial intelligence.

Rehana Begg

Len Vermillion

Anna Townshend

William G. Wong

Related To:

Electronic Design

What you’ll learn:

What engineers in different areas think about machine learning.
What considerations and concerns do engineers have about artificial intelligence?
Things to consider when evaluating the applicability of AI in an application.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has all the buzz these days, but incorporating it into industries with lots of engineering considerations can be challenging—from safety to security. Still, its potential advantages can’t be overlooked, otherwise the competition may get ahead.

On this front, editors at a number of Endeavor publications are talking with companies and engineers about AI and how it’s being evaluated, tested, and used in the field. We selected a few to talk about what they have heard from vendors and engineers on this topic.

Part 1 of the video (watch above; Parts 2 and 3 are below) includes Rehanna Begg, Editor-in-Chief with Machine Design, Len Vermillion, Editor-in-Chief with Control Magazine, Anna Townshend, Managing Editor with Control Design, and William Wong, Senior Content Director with Electronic Design.

AI and Security Considerations

Artificial intelligence (AI) is similar to other new technologies like digital twins when it comes to safety and security, which are often overlooked. Our editors talk about how these issues are affecting engineers and developers.

AI Considerations in Safety Environments

Incorporating AI features into applications can bring many advantages. However, challenges in verifying that these additions maintain a safe and secure environment should not be overlooked. This discussion delves into some of these issues.

About the Author

Rehana Begg | Editor-in-Chief, Machine Design

As Machine Design’s content lead, Rehana Begg is tasked with elevating the voice of the design and multi-disciplinary engineer in the face of digital transformation and engineering innovation. Begg has more than 24 years of editorial experience and has spent the past decade in the trenches of industrial manufacturing, focusing on new technologies, manufacturing innovation and business.

Her B2B career has taken her from corporate boardrooms to plant floors and underground mining stopes, covering everything from automation & IIoT, robotics, mechanical design and additive manufacturing to plant operations, maintenance, reliability and continuous improvement.

Begg holds an MBA, a Master of Journalism degree, and a BA (Hons.) in Political Science. She is committed to lifelong learning and feeds her passion for innovation in publishing, transparent science and clear communication by attending relevant conferences and seminars/workshops.

About the Author

Len Vermillion | Editor-in-Chief, Control

Len Vermillion is editor-in-chief of Control.

About the Author

Anna Townshend | Managing Editor, Control Design

Anna Townshend has been a writer and journalist for 20 years. Previously, she was the editor of Marina Dock Age and International Dredging Review, until she joined Endeavor Business Media in June 2020. She is the managing editor of Control Design and Plant Services.

About the Author

William G. Wong | Senior Content Director - Electronic Design and Microwaves & RF

I am Editor of Electronic Design focusing on embedded, software, and systems. As Senior Content Director, I also manage Microwaves & RF and I work with a great team of editors to provide engineers, programmers, developers and technical managers with interesting and useful articles and videos on a regular basis. Check out our free newsletters to see the latest content.

You can send press releases for new products for possible coverage on the website. I am also interested in receiving contributed articles for publishing on our website. Use our template and send to me along with a signed release form.

Check out my blog, AltEmbedded on Electronic Design, as well as his latest articles on this site that are listed below.

You can visit my social media via these links:

I earned a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Masters in Computer Science from Rutgers University. I still do a bit of programming using everything from C and C++ to Rust and Ada/SPARK. I do a bit of PHP programming for Drupal websites. I have posted a few Drupal modules.

I still get a hand on software and electronic hardware. Some of this can be found on our Kit Close-Up video series. You can also see me on many of our TechXchange Talk videos. I am interested in a range of projects from robotics to artificial intelligence.