Is it possible to write a scientific article with a single button? Will AI soon replace engineers? And is it true that a good prompt is more important than knowledge of physics?

Our laboratory team discussed these questions at the Ingir summer school. Over four years, the school has taken place in Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and Kazan; this year, it was held in Moscow. Participating has become a tradition for us: we attend as experts and also help organise individual events.

This year, the team worked in two formats.

First, we discussed the practical use of AI in the energy sector: why an intelligent model alone is not sufficient for an industrial application, why engineers must understand the data and why the cost of a single error can be much higher than expected.

Next, we joined students and other experts to discuss large language models. We explored misconceptions, answered interactive questions and debated where AI genuinely helps—and where 'ChatGPT said so' is not an adequate technical justification.

These discussions are what make Ingir valuable. Participants can do more than listen to talks: they can question experts, challenge assumptions, test their understanding of contemporary technologies and view AI as a tool future engineers will work with every day, not merely a fashionable trend.

Website: ingir-school.ru/.