Autodesk has released a report on the state of digitization and technological adoption across creative industries. The 2024 State of Design & Make Report found that companies see artificial intelligence “as a current tool rather than a futuristic pipe dream.”

The report’s findings were derived from survey results of 5,400 industry companies and figures across architecture, engineering, construction, design, manufacturing, media, and entertainment. Among the findings was a high level of optimism, with 73% of companies believing they were prepared to handle unforeseen economic or geopolitical changes.

76% of professionals said they trust AI in their industry, with application areas including productivity and sustainability. “More than half of companies say they are approaching or have already achieved their goal of incorporating AI,” Autodesk said about the report findings. “While AI adoption is high, we still have a long way to go to maximize AI’s potential.”

Other AI-related findings included 79% of respondents saying AI will make their industry more creative and 78% saying AI will enhance their industry. 72% have increased spending on AI and emerging technology in the past three years, while 77% say they will continue to do so. 29% said AI would help automate mundane, repetitive tasks, while 35% said AI would supplement a skills gap.

Beyond AI, sustainability represented another key theme across the findings, with 97% of companies saying they had taken actions to improve sustainability. 87% believed that improving sustainability practices was a good long-term business decision, while 69% said sustainability was also good for short-term business success.

The report comes weeks after the RIBA released a new artificial intelligence report containing further statistics on AI’s integration in architectural practice. Meanwhile, Autodesk announced last week that a new AI-powered embodied carbon analysis tool would be incorporated into Autodesk Forma.