How is AI influencing Design
Understandably there’s a lot of hype around artificial intelligence and its potential in the commercial interior design world: to streamline an individual’s work, that of a team or even a whole business. Twinned with that is how AI might just replace human creativity.
At first glance statistics from PWC1 justify the hyperbole with AI’s potential contribution to the global economy expected to total $15.7 trillion in 2030, more than the current output of China and India combined.
Programs like Midjourney and Runway can be useful for designers in terms of image-generation to accelerate the process of creating visuals of products or interiors but there is a feeling of proceeding with caution. This is due to potential issues around intellectual property i.e. where have these images actually been sourced from? Taking things one stage further is the Shenzhen Bay International Hotel in China, which was designed entirely using AI tool XKool. As well as aesthetic appeal, other visible yet still very necessary elements of a building such as heating and cooling can be optimised using AI. This can lead to significant energy savings in commercial spaces and contribute towards a client’s ESG goals too.
In terms of how AI could be used in the design world, it has the potential to shake up the creative process in a positive way by providing an initial framework for ideas, prompting thoughts and exploring concepts from an alternative point of view. This is contingent on the human user of AI being competent in inputting the most effective prompts for the tools they are using. Those honing their skills in this area could very well become highly desirable candidates in the job market going forward.
On the other hand, there’s the old adage of ‘garbage in, garbage out’ if the prompts aren’t up to scratch to generate concepts or ideas that are not to brief. Those who have experienced AI programs will be familiar with the need to hone the more generic output with that irreplaceable knowledge of a specific sector or the needs and wants of a particular client that human creatives possess.
AI can undoubtedly save time by streamlining tasks such as taking meeting notes or summarising research. And there are significant project management wins to be had with AI too, from scheduling and budgeting to resource allocation and progress tracking. More time can therefore be dedicated to the detailed or deeply creative and dynamic parts of the design process such as meaningfully engaging with stakeholders, gaining inspiration from continuing professional development sessions or networking with industry peers.
Being able to personalise a space is another powerful AI takeaway: tailoring interior design elements to suit a user’s needs e.g. lighting in a hotel room or temperature in a meeting room. Thanks to the likes of Siri, we’re all more comfortable with voice commands, so perhaps we can increasingly simply say our preferences. And while AI-powered virtual reality and augmented reality has up until now been used to enable clients to visualise interiors to reduce design iteration cycles, going forward it could be used as part of the finished experience. Already there are hospitality concepts such as the Levenverse, which is a metaverse destination to complement a physical hotel space in Manchester.
In the future, it’ll be interesting to explore how far AI can go in terms of bridging the gap between the digital and physical space. Could predictive analysis get ever more sophisticated in terms of design trends and user forecasts, incorporating specifics like cultural and contextual information or wellness-focussed spaces? Space utilisation software can already pinpoint users’ activity around a building based on where people move, could the next step be monitoring how people feel through facial recognition and other biometric data?
When navigating the intersection between AI and creativity in commercial interior design, it’s always important to bear in mind that while AI can amplify efficiency and innovation, it’s the human touch that truly brings spaces to life.
Author: Helen Parton.
Helen is an architecture and interiors journalist with over 15 years’ experience. She edited workplace design magazine OnOffice for three years from 2015-2018, achieving multiple award nominations in national journalism awards. In 2011, she co-authored a book by Thames and Hudson called Total Office Design. She is currently a freelance editorial consultant and event moderator.
1Sizing the prize. PwC’s Global Artificial Intelligence Study: Exploiting the AI Revolution. What’s the real value of AI for your business and how can you capitalise?