Welcome Everyone
My Name is Anton Klyshnia, I am a student of MaCad program at the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia. You are listening to the podcast as a part of Course: BIM and Smart Construction Theory. Today we will discuss how the AI will influence the architectural software and BIM software in particular. What changes Ai will bring to the workflows in AEC and if Ai will influence the way we document and construct buildings.
I would like to welcome my guest Neil Leach
Neil is a Theorist architect and philosopher. He is famous for his work and contributions in the field of architecture, specifically in the area of digital architecture. He has been teaching in a number of most advanced universities. He is currently Visiting Professor at Harvard University GSD, Professor at the European Graduate School, Gao Feng Professor at Tongji University, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California. Neil also has published and edited a lot of works and books on the subject. One of his latest books that I want to mention and advise is «Architecture in the Age of AI».
I have firstly met you 2 years ago when you gave an online lecture to in the academy of arts architecture ans design in Prague, during the course led by Jan Pernecky. This was the moment I got inspired about AI. Then we have been in contact last year in DMs in Instagram talking about war in Ukraine, as I am from Kyiv, and now I have an opportunity to talk to you live!
Welcome you Neil, great to have you here and thank you for joining us!
Questions
1.I would like to start open conversation with a question to your background. Do you remember the moment when you started to be interested in AI. How old were you? What impressed you the most back then?
2.Today the general public thinks refer to Ai as a kind of magic that does everything on its own. They call this magic as ai, machine learig, neural nets, deeplearning. But How would you describe what is ai today to the people how doesn’t undestand how it works and what exactly it is?
3.What was your last thought or idea about ai that terrified you?
4. The last revolution in architecture happened in 2008 (parametrical skin, slabs inside), and since then we haven’t seen any big changes. Do you see that ai will lead the AEC industry to change its approach and as a result change the design of the building?
5. BIM has set brought many benefits to AEC, it saves a lot of money and time. We have already seen examples of AI-enhanced BIM solutions in the cloud that include local building regulations and can be predictive in 3d modeling. By doing it we only make BIM more powerful but we still don’t solve problems like material usage and recycling. Do you see that ai might cause an appearance of another documentation toll that will push BIM aside?
6. ChatGPT can replace a junior it specialist or a copywriter today. The positions with low qualifications will slowly disappear. Point E can already crate 3d models from the prompt. What roles and position positions in architecture AI might substitute?
7.Studying at IAAC a look pretty skeptical about my bachelor’s education in architecture, as the professors, there are too concentrated on icons and ascetics, but ignore how the technologies and challenges we have today. How can we, as students and young architects, can prepare ourselves for the ai revolution in our profession, and have much time do we have? Is learning how to code more important than learning the gothic cathedrals
Thanks you Neil for the great conversation! I ask everyone to go and follow Neil on instagram, he is very active there and posts a lot of information about upcoming lectures. Also go and follow the digital futures chanel on YouTube, Neil contributes a lot to this project, an this is a great resource of knowledge of digital architecture. And also If you as architect want to get an understanding of ai go and read Neil book «Architecture in th age of artificial intelegnce»
