Technology Should be a Servant
“Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master” quoted by Christian Louis Lange. According to Baclinko, an individual spends almost 6 hours 40 minutes a day on screen according to the data analysis 2023. Technology usage has consumed our time instead of making it free for other activities. Technology helps in communication is a myth, this is inserted in our brains through various commercial campaigns rather it’s making society dumb, mute, myopic, thoughtless, visionless, and emotionless. If technology is not used wisely in any profession there will be a high risk of recession and unemployment in the coming future.
Technology as a Master
Technology has continuously evolved in architecture as well as in other fields. Architects, designers, and related professionals found it easy to do quick sketches, drafts, CAD drawings, 3D renders, concept creation, scheduling, budgeting, etc. by using various tools mainly AutoCAD, Sketchup, Revit, Building Information Modelling (BIM), V-Ray, ArchiCAD, etc. to meet tight deadlines as well as to give more options to the clients. Complex parametric designs are much easier to create now using tools such as Rhino, Grasshopper, Dynamo, Fusion 360, 3Ds Max, etc. Professionals trust the coding of the software to give an accurate result for any design that can lead to over dependence on the machines instead of confidence in humans themselves. As professionals, researchers, professors, and students we have to consider the direction where technology will take us and it should not be the other way around. Architecture is a conventional creative field where a human’s idea is communicated through different forms while being functional for the user. Does Artificial Intelligence know about the art of adding human touch or value? It does not, as it’s a machine with no brain and emotion working on coding developed by coders/software engineers. The amazing fact about these machines is that they are eating up the job opportunities of their developers so how will they not affect our field.
Evolution is a fancy word to use and hear in terms of any field as AI is continuously getting upgraded but did professionals upgrade themselves? The professionals are not accepting this change or shift in technology with an ease. They are still working in an old-school manner and are teaching in the same manner to the budding aspirants of design so, where is the change exactly happening? Theoretical and practical knowledge have to go hand-in-hand otherwise one of them will overpower the other and then there is a high probability of a crash landing. Practising architects, designers, and professors should understand and interpret the future direction of AI in the architectural field. Where our education system is lacking and how can the right knowledge fill in the gaps? Students at an early age are easy to mould but once cast is done it will be a nightmare to redo it.
AI does not know what is right or wrong for a profession it is just catering to the user’s request therefore, professionals have to be truthful to themselves. Plagiarism is a crime everyone is aware of, especially in our industry but still, websites and platforms are showcasing different designs and they are being copied openly without any hesitation. Due to commercialization organisations and firms only know about revenue generation then who cares about ethical conduct? Is it just a mere clause in agreement on records and later everyone forgets about it? What are professionals doing, is it worth it? Someone has to raise these questions for everyone to think judiciously.
Tracing our Roots
Technology is penetrating our day-to-day lives. It has completely changed our lifestyle, is it ok? Individuals use AI in everything they do from day to night mindlessly. It is turning us into robots (humans in the name) and asking us to not use our ability to think and do things with our hands. It should make us smart and not itself. For now, humans are inferior in front of it and the budding designers & architects are at a high risk of being unemployed. Half the job will be done by the softwares and the other half by the software experts or technology-savvy professionals who might not know about the essence of architecture.
Future architects and designers might not know how to draw or sketch by hand; they will be completely dependent on these tools to pull out their creativity, which is also not human-generated. Whereas, the site engineers, project managers, contractors, skilled labourers, etc. will start dominating our field as they would know better technical details than the trained professionals. AI can generate any idea into reality but it may not know the practicality behind it. Now, it is an alarming time to see through the mist of technology that is the starting point where we came from.
Remember – Never leave your roots even if you are in the sky, hold them tight. No one knows when they have returned to track their traces of evolution.
