Structural Intelligence Podcast9 Dec 2025

S1E9 - Engineering Tools that Build Themselves (w/Stijn Jansen)

“When engineers start trusting AI, what exactly are they trusting?”

In this episode of The Structural Intelligence Podcast, host Owen Keenan sits down with Stijn Jansen, co-founder of VIKTOR, to explore what happens when engineers begin building tools that build themselves. From aerospace engineering to software automation, Stijn explains how VIKTOR enables engineers to replace brittle spreadsheets with custom applications that integrate BIM models, simulation software, and now, AI-generated code.

Together, they unpack one of today’s core tensions in engineering: how do we reconcile the reliability of deterministic systems with the flexibility of AI-driven workflows? If machines now help author our tools, where does responsibility live?

🔑 Key Takeaways:

Why engineers struggle to trust AI and how deterministic code restores confidence
How AI can generate tools, without becoming the tool itself
What it really means to “automate the boring and engineer the awesome”
Why Python is becoming the new engineering literacy
How hybrid workflows blend human judgment with machine speed
Why engineers must evolve from tool users into workflow architects

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – When does automation become too unpredictable to trust?

02:15 – From aerospace engineer to code-curious

05:11 – What is VIKTOR and why build your own tools?

08:52 – Why engineers default to Excel under pressure

13:52 – “Automate the boring, engineer the awesome”

24:38 – Case study – automating the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel design

29:31 – Trusting AI vs trusting deterministic tools

35:59 – Unit tests and verification for engineering apps

41:16 – Connecting BIM, FEA and reports into one workflow

51:10 – When AI agents start acting like colleagues

56:18 – Where engineers should start with automation

59:43 – Outro

🔗 Guest:

Stijn Jansen CPO of VIKTOR

Website: ⁠https://www.viktor.ai/⁠

LinkedIn (Company): ⁠https://linkedin.com/company/viktor-ai⁠

LinkedIn (Stijn Jansen): ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/stijn-jansen-viktor⁠

VIKTOR Free account: ⁠https://www.viktor.ai/start-now⁠

🎧 Host & Links

LinkedIn: ⁠https://linkedin.com/in/owenrkeenan⁠

Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/7vcBFpl87NcqpLf0seIRaW

VoiceInspect.ai (AI for inspections): ⁠https://www.voiceinspect.ai⁠

👉 Subscribe to the Structural Intelligence Podcast on YouTube and Spotify to stay updated on new episodes.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(15)

I Stopped Trying to Hire a Developer and Just Built It Myself w/ Nick Heim

"What if the firms falling behind on AI aren't the ones that tried it and failed, but the ones still waiting to understand what has already changed?"Most engineering firms are still treating AI as som...

19 Maj 55min

SPACEGASS and the Evolution of Legacy Tools for the New Era (w/ Ben James)

“How can our beloved engineering tools evolve for the future?”Most structural engineering workflows still rely on disconnected tools, manual processes, and time-consuming iterations, where engineers s...

14 Apr 50min

Detecting Structural Defects From a Photo w/ Ralph Noronha

“What if detecting critical structural defects was as easy as uploading a photo?”Most structural inspections still rely on manual site visits, ladders, and visual checks, leaving room for missed defec...

10 Mars 43min

Stop Relying on “Representative” Inspections, Here’s Why w/ Derek Feebrey

“What if the biggest risk to our infrastructure isn’t corrosion, cracking, or ageing, but the assumptions we still make?”Most asset inspections rely on “representative sampling”, checking a handful of...

18 Feb 52min

S1E8 - Between Innovation & Impact: We build systems, but do we always understand the consequences?

“If we only solve the technical problem without understanding the human problem, we limit ourselves as engineering leaders.”Is engineering moving fast enough to keep up with technology, or are we limi...

6 Nov 202541min

S1E7 – AI Agents and Rethinking Construction Tech Adoption with Ethan Ow (Wenti Labs)

“What if construction isn’t tech-averse just misread?”Is construction really slow to adopt technology, or have we been building the wrong tools? In this episode of The Structural Intelligence Podcast,...

13 Okt 202547min

S1E6 - Inside Civils.ai: Explore Stevan Lukic’s Leap from Engineer to Tech Founder long before the AI hype

How does a civil engineer go from designing tunnels to building an AI startup?In this episode of The Structural Intelligence Podcast, Owen Keenan interviews Stevan Lukic, founder and CEO of Civils.ai ...

4 Sep 202548min