Industrial plants can now run digital twins that update in real time and act on what they detect, according to a sponsored report from MIT Technology Review Insights. The report describes these "living digital twins" as dynamic models that link engineering data with live operational telemetry through a digital thread that follows an asset across its lifecycle.
Rob McGreevy, chief product officer at AVEVA, says newer AI-infused twins are adaptive models that keep pace with live conditions. Earlier twins focused on simulation and what-if planning, and could not analyze in real time or act on problems. The report says agentic AI is starting to let these systems take action rather than only offer suggestions.
Manufacturers show interest in the approach. The report cites a 2026 Manufacturing Leadership Council survey in which 66% of manufacturers said they use or plan to use agentic AI in operations, and 40% expect some degree of factory autonomy by 2030. It also cites a 2025 Deloitte smart manufacturing survey in which 65% of executives ranked operational risk, including business disruption, among their top concerns.
McGreevy expects AI to work mainly in an advisory role for the foreseeable future, with full autonomy limited to narrow, repetitive tasks. He says more testing and validation are needed. He compares the trajectory to SCADA systems, noting that "supervisory means there's a human in the middle."
The report says governance lags behind the technology. In a study from AVEVA and IMD, 43% of organizations said AI has changed decision-making and accountability across partners only slightly or not at all, and 23% reported a significant or fundamental change. The EU AI Act classifies certain AI safety components in critical infrastructure as high-risk and requires human oversight. AVEVA says it has a responsible AI governance board and published principles.