Ethical Roles for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Architectural Practice
Surabaya, June 2024
Advances in technologies, especially the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI), can assist architects in their design process. Meanwhile, the moral standing of architects as professional designers who have ethical sensitivity cannot be replaced by AI technologies. AI technologies can be employed as a tool in architectural design process as well as a part in architectural design products. The utilization of AI technologies is deeply related with the architect’s ethical consideration and responsibility in architectural practice. As a tool within design process, AI technologies may contribute in data processing, design iteration, simulation, calculation, and design visualization. As a part of design output, their incorporation should consider its accessibility and inclusivity for users.
Keywords: design process, ethics, habitus, inclusivity, invisible system
Introduction
Development of technologies influences architects’ work styles, such as altering manual drawing techniques into digital and computational design methods into parametric. Digital software as architects’ tools has also been rapidly evolving, from computer-aided drafting (CAD), building information modelling (BIM), towards artificial intelligence (AI) (Przybylski, 2018). The AI provides ranging abilities, from collecting references to practically producing design. Those advancements raise a concern on how far the role of AI in architectural process. A careless utilization of AI may affect the professional integrity of an architect. An ethical approach is needed in positioning the AI’s roles. In broad strokes, AI technologies are not only employable as a tool in design process, but also as a part of the designed architectural output. This essay begins by discussing the ethical approach, followed by positioning Ai’s role in architectural process.
Ethical Approach in Architectural Process
Ethics and design are deeply related. Ethics as a thinking system influences the design, while an ethical reflection toward design influences the thinking system in ethics. Some ethics theories could be applied on design practice. The ethical quality in design activity could enrich the understanding of ethics in general. Ethical judgement of a design focuses on how and till what extent a designer incorporates ethical considerations in their design activity (Sweeting, 2016). The architecture itself, despite its nature as specialization in certain design and planning, is also a ethical discipline. Ethics seeks criteria to regulate appropriateness of human action (Abusaada, 2019). These theories become a basis to properly put the role of AI technologies in architectural process through some ethical considerations.
There are four Western ethics approaches to be considered during architectural process, specifically virtue ethics, duty ethics, contract ethics, and utilitarian ethics. Virtue ethics emphasizes virtuous individual characters, such as honesty, integrity, and fairness. Contract ethics accentuates good characters in negotiating the rights and responsibilities of each stakeholder (architects, clients, consultants). Duty ethics stresses on good individual intention to deliver a proper action. Utilitarian ethics focuses on the action considering benefit for the most. These approaches are crucial for architects to fulfil their obligations and responsibilities as a professional (Fisher, 2010)
Architects also need to identify invisible system (politics, economy, health, education, infrastructure) all around the design context and scrutinize them on equal level as the visible system (physical environment) (Fisher, 2016). The ethical consideration of an architect is also affected by their habitus and capital constructing themselves as an individual (Bordieu, 1986 in Reynolds, 2015). The ethical sensitivity shaped by perception and interpretation plays crucial role for moral judgement during decision-making process (Jagger, 2011). Those shape the belief of the architect and drive their design process and decisions (Plowright, 2014).
AI Technologies as a Tool in Architectural Design Process
Broadly speaking, architect’s design process consists of several stages of exploration (divergence), generation (transformation), evaluation (convergence), and communication (Cross, 2021; Jones 1992). Even though AI technologies can produce a design output based on prompt input, AI cannot replace the role of the architects as the designer, due to value and ethical considerations that can be decided solely by human. The AI technologies merely receive the prompt input, processing alternatives from the big data, and generate output as a machine. Meanwhile, architects as a human being have an ethical consideration based on the habitus and capital shaping themselves (Bordieu, 1986 in Reynolds, 2015). Architects also hold ethical purposes, values, and principles, which construct their identity and decision-making process, thereby distinguishing their design characters (Blackburn, 2003; Bowin, 2020). Those provides an architect with ethical sensitivity to explore design contexts and situations to generate a relevant and responsible design. The ethical sensitivity is shaped by perception and interpretation which hold a significant role in moral judgment during decision-making process (Jagger, 2011). That process is irreplaceable by AI technologies. Therefore, AI technologies may only stand as a tool controlled by the architects to help them within design process stages.
In problem exploration stage, architects should consider invisible systems (politics, economy, health, education, infrastructure) that surround and influence the design. They must identify those systems and treat them with the same level of scrutiny as they do toward the physical design output (visible system) (Fisher, 2016). The AI technologies can provide aids for collecting and processing the data of those systems. They can filter and display the data and references needed based on the prompt input. The architects play a crucial role in framing the prompts and conducting the further data analysis based on their prioritized ethical philosophy and belief. Hence, the architect’s design thinking skills and the creativity to identify the design problem are irreplaceable by AI.
In design transformation stage, AI technologies can act as a tool for design iteration. Several software, such as Rhino and Grasshopper, may assist the computational and parametric design approach. The architects stay in charge of the creative thinking and controlling parameter input of those software.
In design evaluation stage, ethics play a significant role in selecting the appropriate and responsible design decision. Some ethical approach may be involved, such as duty ethics emphasizing good intention and utilitarian ethics focusing on benefit for most parties involved. Those ethical considerations should be accompanied by anticipative thinking to predict the design impacts and judging the ethical decision based on design context situation (Fisher, 2010). The AI technology may assist in simulating, forecasting, and calculating the possibility on design consequences in the future. Therefore, the architects can take an appropriate and responsible anticipation steps.
In design communication stage, technological advancement, such as CAD, BIM, digital modelling, and rendering softwares, make the architects work more efficiently (Przybylski, 2018). The AI technologies may support in visualizing design ideas realistically. However, the architects must be aware on some restrictions, so that the design visualization is not deceiving and too much. The deceitful visualization indicates dishonest and manipulative behavior of the architect, provoking irrealistic expectation on the clients (Fisher, 2010).
The utilization of AI technologies as tools in design process make the architects work more efficiently in terms of resources, time, and efforts. The architects can focus more on creative design thinking and ethical considerations. They must ethically and responsibly control the role of AI technologies in their design process.
AI Technologies as a Part in Architectural Design Product
Digital technologies, such as AI, can act as soft material integrated as the element of an architectural design project. The integration needs some ethical considerations, as those digital components also affect the users, as the other physical components. The ethical considerations are not only required toward the design impacts, but also toward how the component is designed. A space whose functions rely on technical software can be defined as code/space. For instance, a modern supermarket merely becomes a warehouse if their online transaction system is not working, or a café with Wi-fi network additionally becomes a workspace for online meeting. The software affects the articulation, definition, and transformation of a space (Przybylski, 2018).
On more complex application level, the AI technologies may support smart building, digital placemaking, and smart city. Architects can design a building integrated with AI for energy efficiency and building performance optimization. They can also create a place physically and digitally, real and virtual, by utilizing virtual reality, augmented reality, and metaverse. They can design public spaces on urban scale integrated with AI to improve the quality of place and user’s life.
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On the other hand, the implementation of sophisticated technology, such as AI, is only useful for users who can access them. Often, the technological interfaces come in much complexity which is hard for users to understand and operate them (feature burden). This problem occurred on experimental project of Sentiment Cocoon in Arup headquarters, London (2015). It then became simplified during Vivid Sydney Festival (2016) (Behrens et al, 2018). In other cases, the technological features were only accessible for users who have a gadget, such as smartphone. For instance, Hong Kong Stair Archive project invited citizen to document stairs as Hong Kong’s urban landscape characters via interactive digital game accessible only on their mobile phone (Toland et al., 2020). Sometimes, the technological features are limited by infrastructure availability. The utilization of Street Bump App in Boston to detect the street damage report were not working in some areas due to lack of internet access (Przybylski, 2018).
Those accessibility problems are related to ethical issues on justice and inclusivity. On one hand, there are some qualities improved by AI utilization. On the other hand, there are some limited accessibilities for certain groups. The utilitarian ethics approach judging good action based on most received benefits becomes complicated as a conflict occurs among different benefits for different groups. The ethical judgement based on number of benefit receivers is criticized as it might fall into power bias and majority numbers (Fisher, 2010). The approach should be combined with anticipative thinking to predict the outcoming impacts and judging ethics based on those situations.
To sum it up, architects not only consider technical aspects pf integrating AI technologies into design outcomes but also require anticipative thought and ethical considerations toward all groups of users. Invisible systems of user’s socio-cultural, economical, and infrastructural capabilities within design context became a crucial aspect to be scrutinized. The main criteria is leaving the complex technological system behind the screen and providing a simple and user-friendly interface for all people.
Conclusion
AI technologies cannot replace architect’s role as professional designer, as AI only offers practical and pragmatical solutions without ethical sensitivity. The ethical sensitivity of an architect is constructed by their habitus and capital, thus affecting their belief during their design process, thereby distinguishing the characters and added value of each architect.
In summary, the advancement of AI technologies assists the architects by becoming tools in design process and parts of design products. The utilization of AI technologies is inseparable with architect’s ethical considerations and responsibilities in architectural practice. In exploration stage, AI supports on data collection and processing regarding invisible system affecting design based on a prompt framed by the architects for the further analysis according to the prioritized philosophy and belief of the architects. In design transformation stage, AI assists in design iteration controlled by architects’ creative thinking and values. In evaluation stage, AI may forecast future design consequences so that the architect can took proper preventive steps. In communication stage, the architects can responsibly use AI to improve the design visualization quality. As a part of the architectural product, integration of AI should consider its inclusive access with user-friendly interface for all users.
References
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