Emerson is adding purpose-built AI called Nigel to NI’s test-and-measurement software. The tools have progressed from explaining and analyzing LabVIEW and TestStand work to offering context-aware code completion and, in 2026 announcements, generating LabVIEW code and TestStand sequences. Emerson’s stated aim is to reduce routine engineering work while keeping engineers responsible for validation decisions.
Why test and measurement work is becoming more complex
Validation work links more than code: teams coordinate instruments, hardware, test sequences, data and software across product-development cycles. An engineer may need to understand an existing LabVIEW program, find the right function, configure a test sequence and make sure the resulting evidence is traceable. Work spread across those pieces can make routine development and maintenance demanding.
Emerson’s approach is to put AI inside NI software workflows rather than ask engineers to move their task to a separate, general-purpose chatbot. Nigel is intended to understand test-engineering concepts and NI tools, with capabilities tied to the software and project context in which engineers work.
What Nigel AI does in NI software
Nigel is a family of AI-assisted capabilities for NI engineering products, not simply a standalone chatbot. Its functions have expanded over time; not every capability applies to every product or release.
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Explain and analyze existing work
Emerson’s July 2025 announcement described Nigel in LabVIEW and TestStand as an advisor that can analyze code, recommend improvements and answer questions in plain language. Engineers can use this type of assistance to understand unfamiliar code or get help finding an appropriate tool without searching function references one by one.
Find NI functions
In its April 2025 announcement, Emerson said Nigel could surface tools across more than 700 NI functions. That is an Emerson-reported figure from 2025; it describes the functions the advisor could help users discover, not a claim that it can automatically use every function to build a complete test.
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Complete code with project and hardware context
In February 2026, NI reported an update that added code completion and awareness of test projects and local hardware in the LabVIEW+ Suite. Context matters: suggestions informed by a project or connected setup may be more relevant than generic code suggestions. The announcement does not establish that the AI independently verifies the hardware configuration or the correctness of a test.
Generate code and test sequences
Emerson’s 2026 announcements described a move beyond advice and completion: prompt-based code generation in LabVIEW and automated test-sequence creation in TestStand. Emerson also described expanding Nigel across the LabVIEW+ Suite, including InstrumentStudio, FlexLogger and VeriStand. These announcements indicate the intended direction and announced capabilities; they do not specify that every feature is available in every edition or deployment.
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How Nigel’s capabilities have evolved
| Date | Emerson or NI announcement | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| April 29, 2025 | Emerson introduced Nigel AI Advisor for LabVIEW and TestStand. | Function discovery across more than 700 NI functions was among the announced capabilities. |
| July 22, 2025 | Emerson described Nigel as enabled in flagship test software. | Code analysis, recommendations and plain-language answers were presented as advisor features. |
| February 3, 2026 | NI announced an updated Nigel AI for the LabVIEW+ Suite. | Code completion and awareness of test projects and local hardware were added. |
| May and July 2026 | Emerson described broader capabilities and software coverage. | Announcements included prompt-based LabVIEW code generation, TestStand sequence generation and expansion across InstrumentStudio, FlexLogger and VeriStand. |
| August 6, 2026 | Emerson announced its acquisition of Glue Inc. | Glue Studio brings AI-enabled test generation and planning capabilities; the announcement does not, by itself, establish that Glue Studio is integrated into Nigel. |
What engineer oversight and security mean here
Emerson presents security, governance, traceability and engineer control as important requirements for mission-critical validation. Its July 2025 announcement said Nigel protects user data through a secure cloud platform. In its July 2026 announcement, Emerson said engineers remain in control of validation and decision-making.
Those are product-positioning statements, not a substitute for checking the specific controls an organization requires. Before using AI-generated artifacts in a regulated or safety-critical workflow, teams should verify the applicable product’s data handling, access controls, review process, change history and validation procedures against their own requirements. AI-generated code or sequences still need engineering review and appropriate testing; generation alone does not demonstrate that a test is correct or that its results are valid.
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What productivity gain Emerson reports—and what it does not prove
Emerson said in 2026 that Nigel can reduce test-development time and effort by up to 50% across representative engineering workflows. This is an Emerson claim based on internal workflows, not an independently validated benchmark or a guaranteed result for every team. Actual impact will depend on the task, project context, engineer review and the software capabilities available to the user.
For a team evaluating the claim, the useful comparison is its own baseline: time spent understanding existing code, writing routine code or sequences, reviewing AI suggestions and correcting errors. Measure the complete workflow rather than generation speed alone, and apply the same review and validation standards to AI-assisted work as to manually created work.
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Where Nigel fits compared with a general-purpose AI assistant
| Evaluation question | Nigel’s announced approach | What to check in an alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Domain grounding | Designed around NI test software, functions and engineering workflows. | Whether the tool understands the relevant APIs, instruments, project conventions and test practices. |
| Workflow integration | Embedded in LabVIEW and TestStand, with announced expansion to LabVIEW+ Suite products. | Whether engineers can use it in their actual authoring and measurement environment, or must transfer context to a separate service. |
| Human control | Emerson says engineers remain responsible for validation and decisions. | Whether review, approvals, traceability and governance meet the organization’s requirements. |
| Lifecycle coverage | Announcements cover code development, sequence generation and expansion into tools including InstrumentStudio, FlexLogger and VeriStand. | Which workflow stages are supported in the specific product version being considered. |
EE Times reported NI’s Rudy Sengupta describing Nigel as “an intern or an advisor that sits next to you.” The analogy captures the intended assistive role: help with engineering tasks, while leaving responsibility for the work with the engineer. It should not be read as evidence that the AI can replace test engineers or sign off on validation.
What the Glue acquisition adds
On August 6, 2026, Emerson announced that it had acquired Glue Inc. Glue Studio supplies AI-enabled test generation and planning capabilities. This adds a related AI capability to Emerson’s test-and-measurement portfolio, but the acquisition announcement alone does not show how Glue Studio will be packaged, integrated with Nigel, or made available to NI software users.
Quick Recap
What teams should take away
- Nigel is a test-engineering-oriented set of AI capabilities within NI software, spanning advice and function discovery through context-aware completion and announced generation features.
- Emerson’s strongest productivity figure is “up to 50%,” based on representative internal workflows; it should be treated as a vendor claim, not a universal forecast.
- Whether Nigel is suitable depends on the exact product release, deployment, data controls and governance requirements—not just whether it can generate code or sequences.
- Glue Studio is a distinct addition announced through Emerson’s August 2026 acquisition of Glue; integration details are not established by that announcement.
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