108 AI
This page Vojtek Morsztyn believes it is essential that architects engage with AI, in order to shape the future. His AI Design Guidebook –
€29.99, downloadable from
vojtekmorsztyn.com – explains the process and how to combine traditional sketching and AI
ELON MUSK fears that without risk management, artificial intelligence (AI) could end civilization as we know it, so development should be paused. In an open letter to the AI industry, he said: ‘Should we automate away all the jobs, including the fulfilling ones? Should we develop non-human minds that might eventually outnumber, outsmart, obsolete and replace us? Should we risk loss of control of our civilisation?’ Designer and artist Sebastian Errazuriz believes it is already too late: ‘There is a high possibility that 90% of architects and designers will lose their jobs to algorithms. Architecture is a field that requires years of experience in perfecting the art. AI could develop designs based on a user’s preferences and budgets in seconds.’
Meanwhile, in architecture offices across the world, professionals are cautiously dipping their toes into the AI waters. Patrik Schumacher, studio principal at Zaha Hadid Architects, announced during a roundtable discussion on AI and the Future of Design that the company is using AI text-to-image generators like Dall.E2 and Midjourney to come up with design ideas for projects. While universities agonise over how to catch out students writing essays with Chat GPT, the practice is actively encouraging its architects to accept an AI helping hand. ‘Not every single project is using it but let’s say most – I’m encouraging everybody who’s working on competitions and early ideation to see what comes up and just to have a larger repertoire,’ Schumacher told the panel.
Giuseppe Bono, associate director at TP Bennett, says his company is using a variety of AI tools, and developing in-house versions: ‘Tey are incredibly efficient in automating, augmenting and facilitating working tasks throughout the design and construction process, leaving architects to do what they do best and be creative. AI and machine-learning models allow us to explore and refine ideas during design conception or automate tasks and processes during delivery.’ Longer term, he anticipates: ‘Combining AI with robotics will allow us to open a new chapter in construction optimisation and efficiency.’ ‘When ChatGPT was launched it was a breakthrough moment when suddenly we could see what was becoming possible,’ says architect Keir Regan-Alexander, who recently stepped down as director of Morris+Company to become a new technology consultant to the industry. ‘I immediately thought this was going to be huge for architects because the work is about translating fresh, imaginary ideas into vivid imagery, so the tools have a huge potential. A tool like Midjourney is like having a partner to play against in tennis – you
can bounce ideas off it as if you were workshopping. But if you are relying on AI for ideas you are in trouble.
‘Te things you can do astonish me. I took a photo of a site on my bike ride home, had an idea, drew it in Photoshop then used Stable Diffusion to visualise it with a photorealistic render and integrate it into the photo. It took about 30 minutes, whereas it would have taken two or three days, and it was really fun. What I enjoy is coming up with ideas – I don’t
enjoy the grunt work of CAD or the hours of rendering. I am concerned for the profession but my perspective is, let’s tool-up and have a strategy, rather than being passive. It’s a very competitive profession, and if your opponent has a technology that’s faster and cheaper then it puts you at a disadvantage.’ AI technology is considered straightforward to learn – and for those who have stuck to sketching and outsourcing CAD, it can leapfrog that technology completely. ‘Tis
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