Ideas = A curious designers thoughts + AI

Since starting my own practice, I’ve had the chance to connect with some amazing people—clients, collaborators, and peers—all deeply thinking about the future. And again and again, one topic kept coming up: “AI.” What it means for creativity, for efficiency, for jobs, and for the profession as a whole. Most importantly, what it means for how we continue designing with purpose.

That conversation led me to dive into the current state of AI in the AEC industry. I scoured blogs, podcasts, and the web in general and what I found was a huge amount of information—some insightful, much overwhelming—and most of it centered around one clear message:
“AI will change how we all work.”

But that message often sparked fear without offering much clarity for the AEC industry specifically. This only made me more curious to dig deeper, find reliable information, and figure out a way to share it with other design/development professionals also seeking to understand this topic better for our profession.

I’ve always been fascinated by technology. As a kid, I was the one taking apart the family computer, fixing friends’ phones, and tuning into tech radio shows like Leo Laporte’s “Tech Guy Labs”. That curiosity never left me — and it’s part of what drew me to design.

As I’ve learned more about AI, I’ve come to see it not as a threat, but as a tool — one that can support our work, spark creativity, reduce costs, and most importantly, give us more time to focus on what we love: design.

That’s why I’m launching this series.

Each week, I’ll share a quick roundup of AI-related articles focused on architecture, design, and development. My goal is to highlight how AI might support rather than replace us.

Some stories will challenge our thinking. Others will inspire. But all of them will help us navigate the fast-evolving conversation about AI’s role in shaping the cities, spaces, and systems of tomorrow.

The more I explore, the more excited I am — not just about what AI can do, but what it can help us do better. The future we build can be more sustainable, creative, equitable, and human-centered, and I believe AI can be there to help us make that happen.

I look forward to sharing that journey with you.

—Steve