An Overwhelmed Future: Teaching Architecture in the Age of AI

Abstract

The accelerated rise of digital technologies and the accelerated advancement of artificial intelligence are reshaping architectural education. This field, where tradition and innovation converge, is undergoing a transformation that generates both fascination and unease, demanding an urgent reassessment of educational processes. What once seemed like a distant future has suddenly arrived, creating the feeling that time has overflowed, bringing scenarios that, until recently, belonged to the realm of science fiction. For some, these advances open an unprecedented horizon of opportunities; for others, they represent a threat that jeopardizes traditional methods of teaching and professional practice. 

This study examines how technology has altered and expanded the creative and functional possibilities in the teaching and practice of architecture. Tools such as generative design and advanced simulations allow architects to explore a wide range of design alternatives, predict environmental and structural impacts with precision, and contribute to the creation of more resilient and sustainable spaces. However, alongside these promises, there also emerge troubling challenges: labor, ethical, and legal issues of great magnitude that cannot be ignored.