[Expert Interview] Yuan Ye: AI Will Become an Accelerator for Architects to Achieve Humanistic Ideals

Article sourced from the Zhongguancun Innovation Design Conference
[Expert Interview] Yuan Ye: AI Will Become an Accelerator for Architects to Achieve Humanistic Ideals

On the occasion of the Zhongguancun Innovation Design Conference, the event launched an expert interview series, featuring in-depth discussions with industry leaders, scholars, and corporate representatives. The interviews gather professional insights and explore future trends.

Interviewee:
Yuan Ye, Chief Architect of China Construction Engineering Design & Research Institute

Below is the edited interview content:

In the AI Era, Architects Must Uphold Their Core Values

Q: In the age of artificial intelligence, as an architect, how do you think we should respond to this technological transformation?

Yuan Ye: First, we should actively embrace AI technology, treating it as a "partner" in design innovation rather than a replacement. The core value of AI lies in unleashing architects' creativity—it can help architects quickly process vast amounts of data (such as climate, terrain, and human behavior), generate multiple design alternatives, optimize building performance (e.g., energy efficiency, structure, cost), and even push architects to break free from traditional design logic. However, since technology remains a tool, architects must always retain the humanistic essence of architectural design—reflections on spatial emotion, cultural heritage, and social value.

In the AI era, architects must firmly uphold their core values. Architecture is never just about stacking spaces; it carries the dreams and emotions of human life. Now that AI can efficiently handle repetitive and rule-based design tasks, we will have more energy to focus on uncovering the uniqueness of each project. Whether it's preserving historical context or exploring future lifestyles, architects must rely on keen insight and profound cultural knowledge to carefully construct and refine their work.

AI can assist in generating complex parametric forms, but how should these forms resonate with urban context? That requires an architect's judgment. AI can simulate optimal lighting solutions, but how do we evaluate the spatial experience of people under that light? An architect's experience and discernment remain crucial.

The new era demands that architects deepen their understanding of society and culture, paying closer attention to shifts in human behavior and emotional needs to ensure that buildings and cities become soulful habitats. Therefore, in the age of AI, architects must reconstruct their design thinking and adapt to a new professional role—transitioning from "technical service providers" to "strategic decision-makers," from "musicians" to "conductors," and from "actors" to "directors." They must strengthen their critical understanding and innovative application of technological logic while deepening their expertise in design philosophy, regional culture, and social insight—making AI an accelerator for realizing architects' humanistic ideals.

Challenges and Opportunities Coexist

Q: What opportunities and challenges do you think AI will bring to design firms? What skills should designers strengthen to adapt to these changes?

Yuan Ye: AI offers architects multidimensional opportunities. From an efficiency perspective, tasks like urban planning or large-scale architectural research that once required extensive time and manpower can now be accelerated with AI's data analysis and image recognition capabilities. AI can quickly process vast datasets, accurately outlining site characteristics, population movement trends, and other key information, significantly reducing the time needed for preliminary data collection and analysis.

In terms of design innovation, AI can simulate the fusion of different design concepts and styles, providing architects with powerful support to break free from conventional thinking.

However, challenges coexist with opportunities—and may even be more severe. AI-driven designs carry the risk of homogenization, a problem architects must confront. Over-reliance on AI-generated templates may lead to architectural styles becoming monotonous, lacking uniqueness and cultural roots. If architects depend too much on AI-generated solutions, they may gradually lose their capacity and willingness for independent creative thinking. This warns us to incorporate deep creative review and cultural calibration when using AI, avoiding the pitfalls of uniformity and ethical missteps. Architects must maintain a clear professional awareness—humans should control AI, not the other way around. True problem-solving and human-centered design ultimately require architects to make decisions and take responsibility.

To adapt to the AI era, designers must shift from traditional single-discipline roles to becoming multidisciplinary talents. Future architects should develop a "pyramid" skill structure: the foundation is technical literacy (understanding AI tool logic), the middle layer is critical thinking (ethical judgment of technology), and the top is humanistic leadership. On one hand, they must expand interdisciplinary knowledge, familiarizing themselves with computer science, data analysis, and other fundamentals. On the other hand, critical thinking and innovation are core competencies—architects must accurately assess the value of AI-generated content and refine it. Design teams will also benefit from members with humanities backgrounds, such as psychology or sociology.

We Have Already Made Our Mark in Emerging Technology Applications

Q: What role do you think technology will play in future human settlements? In today's globalized world, has the gap between China and the international community narrowed or widened? How can we integrate into global competition?

Yuan Ye: AI-aided design and intelligent construction technologies are reshaping architectural production—not only improving construction speed and quality but also enabling the efficient realization of complex forms and personalized designs. Smart home systems will seamlessly integrate into living spaces, from automatically adjusting curtains and gentle wake-up modes in the morning to adaptive temperature and lighting upon returning home. Technological innovation will fundamentally transform our lifestyles. Sustainable development technologies further paint a green blueprint for future human settlements, with the widespread adoption of clean energy and eco-friendly building materials turning structures from energy consumers into self-sufficient green organisms.

In this era of rapid technological advancement, China's architectural industry is gradually closing the gap with the international community. In emerging technology applications, we have already made our mark. For example, China's digital design and intelligent construction technologies have reached world-leading levels in some major infrastructure projects, and China's building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) industry is also globally competitive. However, gaps remain, particularly in design philosophy and refined detailing. Top international architecture firms still excel in human-centric details, deep cultural exploration, and technological integration—areas where we can learn from them.

To integrate into global competition, we must adopt a more open mindset, strengthening international exchanges and collaborations. We should actively participate in global architectural competitions and joint projects, competing and learning alongside top-tier teams worldwide. Additionally, we must continue increasing investment in R&D, encouraging designers to study cutting-edge international design concepts and technologies, then adapt them locally. Most importantly, true global competition is not just about chasing technical benchmarks—it's about using algorithms to tell compelling local stories.

Chinese architects should take Chinese culture as their foundation and adopt a global perspective to build design brands with international influence, propelling Chinese architectural design onto the world stage.