What AI gets wrong about design...

In a world that has become very dependent on AI, with respect to the interior design industry - is it the end all to be all?  Is there a place for AI when envisioning your project?

I have had a few meetings with clients over the past few months that have generated a design using AI that they have shared with me at our meeting. I came home after the meetings, stressed with the feeling that my job, my passion, was suddenly redundant. Josh and I discussed this at length - was our business going to be phased out due to AI?   I mean theoretically, unless AI creates some kind of robot that can suddenly build homes, the construction aspect of the business will be fine (oh dear, I feel like I may have just jinxed it…)

There were many years of my life spent working really hard and diligently, making sacrifices in my personal life, eating a lottttt of mac and cheese dinners, sometimes only getting a few hours of sleep each night, in order to graduate with a degree in interior design. All of a sudden, it had me questioning my choices, wondering if a degree in interior design was the best decision.

I think technology is wonderful, from the laptop that I am using to type this post, the software programs available now to generate realistic renderings, and the tools that are literally at my fingertips to aid in my day to day work.

HOWEVER… creating a well-designed space is complex. When we create a design for a client, we have multiple meetings to narrow down their overall vision. We work on layout, ensuring functionality for our individual client’s specific needs, we bring samples to their home so they can touch and feel the materials and see them in different lighting in their home. We then have a better understanding of which items our client’s absolutely love and we change out the pieces they don’t. This multi layered, individually customized, interactive process can’t be achieved through AI.

So, while I think AI is a great tool to use, I truly don’t believe it will ever be able to replace the creative brain of an interior designer, their passion, their knowledge, their vision and most of all their drive to create the perfect space that their client will love for many years to follow.