Is Artificial Intelligence a threat or a potential amigo of Architects?

The onset of AI is suspected to be the biggest harbinger of creating a brand-new reality. This change
ignites the slippery slope of the dubious future of architecture, which is discussed by Ashik Vaskor
Mannan, Principal Architect of Studio XI Architects and Associate Professor at AIUB, at the seminar
named “Will AI Wipe out Architects?” held on 2nd June 2024, organized by Design Studio XI, at the
Brac University lecture theatre. It was arranged to inspire future architects by the School of Architecture
and Design.
The seminar focused on his research about the change that is taking place for AI which is more so
becoming EI (Extended Intelligence) or even OI (Organic Intelligence). The topics ranged from the
evolution of AI, comparison of Humans and AI to AI and Architecture, GANs, Futuristic Architecture
and lastly asking whether it is the beginning of the end of our profession, that being the most important
question of the hour.
The answer is more complex than a simple yes or no. Proving the superiority of the intelligence and
creativity of AI to humans through the defeat of the greatest players of chess and the oldest Chinese board
game, Go, at the hands of AI software, Professor Mannan hints that AI can easily outshine humans.
However, the certainty of a future is marked by the saying from Elon Musk, “If you can’t beat ’em, join
’em” suggesting a divergent approach to the subject. The seminar reached its end with the remark that AI
might take over a great chunk of the job market, yet it is just a tool, a tool that can be utilized for taking
architects to new heights instead of replacing them and weighing them down.