Is there anyone still doubting this? Unlikely ...
As with every revolution, the wave of novelty reshapes the entire projection of the future and leaves behind those who fail to catch it. Can you imagine drawing an entire project by hand, complete with all execution details, in our modern times? Can you imagine redrawing everything from scratch multiple times for a single minor change? That’s how things were done before the '80s, when commercial CAD software expanded from aeronautical engineering to various industries, including architectural design.
Famous modernist architects like Le Corbusier or Frank Lloyd Wright required entire teams of technicians just to put their brilliant ideas on paper. You can bet they did not foresee how their successors would use computers to complete their plans in the '80s, nor could they have imagined the freedom of expression that 3D software options and correlated analysis systems would bring in the '90s and 2000s. Just as they couldn't predict the digital revolution, we likely cannot fully grasp what tools the architects of tomorrow will use, even though we might be able to peek just a little into the future.
What we are witnessing today, after the launch of ChatGPT in 2020 and that of Midjourney and Stable Difusion in 2022, the emergence of AI-assisted software for architects and designers, might just be the beginning of a new technological revolution in architecture and design. Starting with Planner 5D, Maket.ai, Hypar, ArchiVinci, OpenArt Floor Plan Generator, and Magicplan for generating concepts and plans, and continuing with Spacely AI, Coohom, VIDES, ReRender AI, Architect Render, and Veras for architectural and interior rendering, AI is already proving to be a significant support for architects and designers.
Just as the architects of the '70s, when CAD programs were in their infancy, could not foresee the extent to which their profession would change, today we have only caught a glimpse of what is to come in our field. One thing is certain: change is not only inevitable but also welcome. It is already happening, and adaptation for us, as architects, is mandatory if we are to pursue our vocation and continue bringing "venustas" (beauty) and "utilitas" (functionality), as our illustrious ancestor Vitruvius recommended, into the world for people to admire, use, and enjoy.