Human-Centric Digital Engineering: Augmenting NASA Workforce via Digital Engineering

NASA’s Digital Engineering (DE) Program aims
to modernize engineering practices by integrating advanced digital technologies with human
creativity to deliver predictable, trustworthy,
and mission-ready outcomes. This initiative emphasizes a human-centric approach, guided by
principles of sensibility (Kansei) and harmony
(Wa), ensuring technology augments rather
than replaces human judgment. The paper explores NASA’s strategic shift toward data-centric processes, lessons learned from past transformation efforts, and accomplishments such as
SysML-based digital twins, generative design,
and enterprise architecture deployment. It
highlights the role of artificial intelligence (AI)
as an assistant—not a decision-maker—while
addressing ethical considerations, interoperability challenges, and cognitive load reduction
to preserve human creativity. The vision for the future underscores harmonizing emerging technologies like AI, AR/VR, and digital twins with
human oversight, ensuring transparency, accountability, and resilience in engineering processes. Ultimately, NASA’s DE journey seeks to
accelerate innovation, reduce lifecycle risk, and
maintain public trust while safeguarding the irreplaceable role of human ingenuity via judgement, ethics, and values.