The new president of RIBA has urged architects to view the “daunting” rise of technologies such as AI as an opportunity to benefit the profession, clients, and wider society
In a blog marking the start of his two-year term, Chris Williamson stated that architects face a “myriad of challenges” stemming from the emergence of AI, mounting financial pressures, and the climate emergency.
“These challenges may threaten our profession, but they also present us with great opportunities to lead,” he said.
While professionals across every sector are “rightly concerned” about the implications of AI, Williamson urged architects to deploy the technology in a way that enhances how they work and demonstrates value to clients and society as a whole.
“We’ve seen technology reshape our profession before. The advent of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Computer-Aided Design (CAD) has transformed the way we work. I recall the unease and the questions about our role and value, but we adapted. We found ways to harness these tools to enhance what we do, and I’m confident that we’ll do the same with new technologies,” Williamson wrote.
Architects are embracing AI innovation, but much uncertainty remains
RIBA’s 2025 Artificial Intelligence Report found that 59% of architects’ practices now use AI compared with 41% in 2024.
However, more than one in three (35%) see AI as a threat to the profession, and 69% believe that AI increases the risk of work being imitated.
Almost half (47%) stated that AI enables those without sufficient professional knowledge to design buildings, thereby increasing the risk of structures being unsafe, unsustainable, or unsuited to client needs.
Some 95% disagreed that AI is an adequate substitute for professional judgment, and 94% disagreed that, because of AI, human creativity is no longer needed in building design.
Among AI users, 34% of architects’ practices agree that it has brought efficiency improvements. However, an equal percentage disagreed, and 33% were neutral.
On balance, architects anticipate that AI will be utilised in more areas over the next two years. Forty-five per cent believe it will improve the efficiency of architectural design processes, 38% believe it will enhance the accuracy of architectural modelling and simulations, 37% believe it will improve the accuracy of specifications.
