Evaluating Large Language Models for Real-World Engineering Tasks

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Heesch, Rene, Eilermann, Sebastian, Windmann, Alexander, Diedrich, Alexander, Rosenthal, Philipp, Niggemann, Oliver
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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_version_ 1866910954926637056
author Heesch, Rene
Eilermann, Sebastian
Windmann, Alexander
Diedrich, Alexander
Rosenthal, Philipp
Niggemann, Oliver
author_facet Heesch, Rene
Eilermann, Sebastian
Windmann, Alexander
Diedrich, Alexander
Rosenthal, Philipp
Niggemann, Oliver
contents Large Language Models (LLMs) are transformative not only for daily activities but also for engineering tasks. However, current evaluations of LLMs in engineering exhibit two critical shortcomings: (i) the reliance on simplified use cases, often adapted from examination materials where correctness is easily verifiable, and (ii) the use of ad hoc scenarios that insufficiently capture critical engineering competencies. Consequently, the assessment of LLMs on complex, real-world engineering problems remains largely unexplored. This paper addresses this gap by introducing a curated database comprising over 100 questions derived from authentic, production-oriented engineering scenarios, systematically designed to cover core competencies such as product design, prognosis, and diagnosis. Using this dataset, we evaluate four state-of-the-art LLMs, including both cloud-based and locally hosted instances, to systematically investigate their performance on complex engineering tasks. Our results show that LLMs demonstrate strengths in basic temporal and structural reasoning but struggle significantly with abstract reasoning, formal modeling, and context-sensitive engineering logic.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_13484
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Evaluating Large Language Models for Real-World Engineering Tasks
Heesch, Rene
Eilermann, Sebastian
Windmann, Alexander
Diedrich, Alexander
Rosenthal, Philipp
Niggemann, Oliver
Artificial Intelligence
Computation and Language
Large Language Models (LLMs) are transformative not only for daily activities but also for engineering tasks. However, current evaluations of LLMs in engineering exhibit two critical shortcomings: (i) the reliance on simplified use cases, often adapted from examination materials where correctness is easily verifiable, and (ii) the use of ad hoc scenarios that insufficiently capture critical engineering competencies. Consequently, the assessment of LLMs on complex, real-world engineering problems remains largely unexplored. This paper addresses this gap by introducing a curated database comprising over 100 questions derived from authentic, production-oriented engineering scenarios, systematically designed to cover core competencies such as product design, prognosis, and diagnosis. Using this dataset, we evaluate four state-of-the-art LLMs, including both cloud-based and locally hosted instances, to systematically investigate their performance on complex engineering tasks. Our results show that LLMs demonstrate strengths in basic temporal and structural reasoning but struggle significantly with abstract reasoning, formal modeling, and context-sensitive engineering logic.
title Evaluating Large Language Models for Real-World Engineering Tasks
topic Artificial Intelligence
Computation and Language
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.13484