AI is changing the workplace, and the next generation of talent is already adapting. At Textron, innovation is part of how we work, and interns have opportunities to explore how new technologies can support their work. This summer, interns across the business took on meaningful assignments and used AI to build future-ready skills.

Check out how five 2026 interns used AI during their summer internships and what they learned.

INNOVATION GOES BEYOND OUR PRODUCTS

At Textron, innovation shows up in the aircraft, vehicles and technologies our teams build. That same spirit shapes how our people work every day.

Hayden saw that firsthand on the Government Accounting and Compliance team at Textron’s Corporate office. His work required navigating detailed government regulations, where finding the right guidance could mean searching through hundreds of pages.

Encouraged by his manager, Hayden built a Copilot agent using those regulations as its knowledge base. By uploading relevant documents and asking targeted questions, he created a faster way to find the guidance he needed.

“Without using AI, I would have to search through hundreds of pages of cost allowability principles just to find a single expense, as opposed to a 30-second chat with Copilot that immediately points me to the relevant guidance,” Hayden said.

The time he saved allowed him to start new projects sooner, accelerate his learning and connect with more coworkers and leaders across the company.

RETHINKING THE MANUAL PARTS OF THE JOB

Some of Luke’s most valuable work started after he got through the data.

On Bell Commercial Cost team, he analyzed the most popular customization packages across Bell’s commercial helicopters. Each package had dozens of components. He reviewed each one, checked its contract status and flagged items where price volatility suggested a contract could reduce costs.

The data lived across multiple systems. Before Luke could dig into the analysis, he had to bring it all together.

“It probably would’ve taken me about two hours to do, as some kits have over 40 to 50 components,” Luke said. “It really did just save me a lot of time going back and forth between SAP and Excel.”

Luke used Copilot to group and format the data, allowing him to focus sooner on analysis instead of manual data preparation.

“With the hours I got back I was able to focus on the analysis portion of my project and ultimately conclude sooner than I would have,” he said.

MORE TIME FOR THE WORK THAT MATTERS

Melissa joined the Compensation team at Textron Aviation in Wichita, where her projects ranged from salary benchmarking to building job grade reference files. Among her projects, she was asked to develop an on-demand training resource for Textron’s internal employee recognition platform.

She built the presentation in Copilot, fed it into Copilot Video to generate a narrated walkthrough, then refined the wording and moved it into Clipchamp to add transitions and effects.

“AI helped me make a simple presentation and turn it into an engaging and easier resource to use for training individuals on how to use the Textron Tributes platform,” Melissa said.

Without those tools, she said she would have spent more time writing the script, recording and editing narration and sourcing visuals. The time she saved went into refining the resource and picking up additional projects with her team.

When a project or document is unfamiliar, she uses AI as a thought partner to get her bearings before diving in.

“AI can enhance your work, but the human element of collaboration, communication, and decision-making remains just as important,” she said. “Combining AI and your own skills and creativity will help you become a valuable source for problem-solving and learning.”

DISCOVERING WHERE AI FITS INTO YOUR CAREER

Daniel came into his internship already familiar with AI. What he hadn’t experienced yet was using it as part of a professional marketing team.

Daniel expected AI to play a small supporting role during his marketing internship at Bell, maybe helping with quick copy edits or basic research. Instead, he saw how AI could support more strategic work across marketing and communications.

He put that into practice while supporting Bell’s Content and Creative team. For a project around Bell’s role as a primary supplier for Virgin Galactic’s Delta-class spaceship, Daniel interviewed engineers and program managers and came away with three detailed transcripts filled with technical information and different perspectives.

He used Copilot to identify themes across the conversations before developing an integrated marketing strategy, messaging brief, landing page and blog content.

“By letting AI handle the initial synthesis, I freed up time to focus on the bigger picture,” Daniel said. “I could refine the strategy, making sure the messaging aligned with Bell’s goals, and putting more attention to stakeholder feedback.”

The experience gave him a clearer picture of where AI could fit into his own career without losing the creativity and judgment that drew him to marketing.

“You still need to bring the ideas, the direction, and the final judgment,” Daniel said.

ACCELERATING THE LEARNING CURVE

An internship comes with a lot to learn, and Isabelle found that AI could help her get started while she built new skills of her own.

Isabelle joined the HR Business Partner team at Textron Systems in Wilmington, Massachusetts, where she supported new hire orientations, intern engagement events and other HR projects. One assignment challenged her to create something her team didn’t already have: a 60/90/120-day onboarding plan.

With no existing template to follow, Isabelle used Copilot to brainstorm what onboarding could look like across functions including engineering, IT and production planning. She then met with recently hired employees to learn from their experiences and refine the resource based on their feedback.

The final product was an Excel tracker with instructions for managers, a chart showing how onboarding differs by experience level, and templates tailored to specific functions across the site.

“AI helped me get up to speed faster on a project that didn’t have a clear starting point,” Isabelle said. “It gave me ideas to build from and helped me think through different approaches before I started creating the final tool.”

Isabelle walked away knowing a lot more about HR, the business, and how to make AI work for her.