Living digital twins are changing how industrial plants are monitored and run, according to an MIT Technology Review Insights article sponsored by AVEVA. Earlier digital twins mirrored plants with a delay and focused on simulation and what-if planning. The newer versions connect live operational data to control systems, so they can flag problems and, in some cases, act on them.
Rob McGreevy, chief product officer at AVEVA, describes these systems as adaptive models of a plant's assets and processes that keep pace with live conditions. He says they connect systems that once ran in isolation.
The article says agentic AI is extending these systems beyond diagnostics and suggestions. It describes small, constant adjustments that keep a plant running within normal limits. Human judgment still defines what healthy operation looks like and flags when the AI drifts from that standard.
The data link is called a digital thread, a connected record of an asset across its lifecycle. The article credits cheaper sensors and software platforms for making it possible.
Manufacturers are interested. In a 2026 Manufacturing Leadership Council survey, 66% said they use or plan to use agentic AI in operations, and 40% expect some degree of factory autonomy by 2030. A Deloitte 2