#ai-assisted-design

#ai-assisted-design

Circa 1450, the creative community was jolted. The printing press had just been invented in Europe. Scribes, typically monks who had spent lifetimes perfecting the spiritual art of hand-copying manuscripts, saw their specialized skills suddenly rendered obsolete. Yet in short order, the disruptive innovation democratized knowledge, enabled the Renaissance, and created entirely new creative roles for editors, typesetters, printmakers, and illustrators.

Launched in 2017 and co-curated by Make Architects, Sir John Soane's Museum, and the World Architecture Festival (WAF), the Prize celebrates the art and skill of architectural drawing across multiple modes of creation. Sponsored by Iris Ceramica Group and supported by ArchDaily as media partner, this year's edition attracted a record number of more than 200 submissions from around the world.

Fast-forward eight months, and 59% of designers and developers are already using AI in their work. But here's what the surveys don't tell you: the gap between AI hype and AI reality in design work is still enormous. After integrating various AI tools into my daily workflow, I've learned that the real story isn't about replacement - it's about strategic augmentation in surprisingly specific ways.