We are currently encountering AI - artificial intelligence - at every turn in all possible areas of life. It is already foreseeable that these new tools will soon be indispensable even in architecture. We too have already ventured into the first design studies with the new tool.
The realization: on a practical level, this automated support works amazingly well, but from a content perspective, AI cannot meet the essential requirements of our profession as architects. It is these subtle nuances in the direct exchange with the client, the recording of wishes and needs, that AI cannot achieve in any way - at least as things stand at present. This means that even an AI-generated design will always remain a soulless shell that requires the intervention of the architect in order to be filled with life. We must also be aware that AI can never really create anything new, but can only have a repetitive effect and draw on knowledge that is already known.
My conclusion: the fact that 440 universities in China are already offering AI degrees alone shows us that we must not miss out on this trend. AI is ideally suited for research purposes or to support spatial organization due to its high level of collective knowledge. However, in order to design buildings from the ground up and individually tailored to the building site and the users, relying solely on AI is an absolute no-go in my eyes.
Text: Alexander Meissl
Picture: David Johansson
