AI won’t steal your job—but it may save your CD set

This blog post was authored by Jake Donaldson, Managing Principal, Method Architecture.

Every technological leap in architecture has been met with a familiar cocktail of optimism and anxiety. The transition from hand drafting to CAD, then CAD to BIM, brought promises of efficiency—and concerns about lost artistry, or jobs.

Now, artificial intelligence (AI) is the buzzword on everyone’s lips, and our industry is asking: Is it a threat, a tool, or a bit of both?

AI in Architecture: Threat or Opportunity?

The truth is, AI’s impact depends on how we choose to use it. Yes, it can be a potential threat if wielded poorly, if shortcuts become the norm, if we forget the value of human expertise. But I see our current moment as just another technological shift. Some professionals will harness AI to elevate their work, while others might resist or use it to cut corners. Like every wave of innovation before, the AEC industry will adapt and redefine itself around these new tools.

One common misconception is viewing AI as a competitor or replacement, rather than what it truly is: an extension tool. To my mind, AI doesn’t replace creativity or critical thinking; it enhances them. It empowers us to iterate faster, navigate complex problems with greater efficiency, and organize our ideas in ways that free us up for the parts of architecture that matter most: imagination, ingenuity, and collaboration. In the AEC world, artificial intelligence is less a job thief and more the tireless assistant we always wished for.

Where AI Actually Shines

Here’s where AI proves its worth: automation of the repetitive, the mind-numbing, and the easily overlooked. It can scan for missing details, detect inconsistencies between sheets, and flag code compliance or accessibility issues before a reviewer does. Already, smart plugins are helping teams verify room numbers, correct legends, and batch-update tags—tasks that once devoured countless billable hours.

But don’t worry: AI isn’t about replacing your expertise or creative judgment. It's about freeing you—and your staff—to focus on what computers still can’t manage: relationship-building, design intuition, and the art of wrangling client expectations. AI can propose solutions, but only humans can balance aesthetics, budget, and human needs in real time.

What We’ve Learned About AI at Method Architecture

Our AI journey at Method began with a lot of trial and error—testing everything from GPT and CoPilot to Grok and Claude. We quickly realized the need for custom, internal solutions that fit our workflows and culture. Our first breakthrough? Using AI for Accounts Payable, a repetitive data entry task.

Using AI for Data Entry

Instead of manually logging consultant bills, we now have an AI process that translates, organizes, and pushes bills forward with human oversight. This change shrank our manual effort by 85%, sped up approvals by 3x, and saved over 360 labor hours a year.

With that win, we developed a custom agentic AI that bridges gaps between HR, marketing, accounting, and technical standards—connecting information instantly across systems that previously didn’t speak to each other. The AI agent offers instant answers to staff questions that would have previously interrupted a busy team member for 5–20 minutes.

Over a year, these small savings have accumulated to more than 2,600 hours—equivalent to one or two full-time billable team members. But beyond saving time, it’s unlocked new energy: with fast answers and simple access, our people work confidently, take initiative, and feel empowered to experiment.

Balancing Automation with Design Integrity

One of the biggest lessons from our AI implementation is the importance of balance. Automation is at its best when it removes barriers, not inspiration. At Method Architecture, we encourage our teams to use AI for documentation, organization, and reporting, while the work of ideation and decision-making stays firmly human.

Using AI For Efficient Data Access

Method has also deployed CoPilot to allow for more efficient access to data and information across emails, chats, share point data, and calendars. Often times, just finding the right information is half the battle. AI helps us refine ideas, not create them in a vacuum. Automation should amplify our creativity, not dictate it. 

Looking Ahead: Collaboration & Quality 

What’s most exciting? Two things stand out. First, speed and real-time collaboration. Architecture has traditionally been a solo sprint, punctuated by occasional meetings. With AI-powered visualization and modeling, clients now join us live—in real time—creating and iterating together. The creative process is now more inclusive, engaging, and responsive than ever.

Second, quality control. Nobody—clients, contractors, or architects—likes dealing with coordination issues that surface during construction. AI tools can add another layer of oversight to design coordination, catching errors before they become costly change orders.

Perfection is still a stretch goal, but AI helps us get closer every day to that elusive “perfect” CD set and smoother project delivery.

Final Thought: Adapt and Thrive

AI won’t steal your job. But it will absolutely reshape how you do it—making the architectural process faster, your technical details more reliable, and your role more creative if you embrace it. Our industry has always evolved, often reluctantly; the real challenge now is to adapt enthusiastically and lead the transformation.

AI won’t soon replace our human designers curating the next industrial portfolio, laying out a functional healthcare space, or cultivating the aesthetic of tribal communities, but it can help remove the tedium of that work. Every second saved by AI is like a single droplet eroding a tiny spec of stone. Before long, the technology will carve a canyon through unproductive workflows. 

Let’s see AI not as a rival, but as the extension of our best thinking, our best ideas, and our best work. The future of architecture—like its past—will always be powered by people and the tools we choose to wield.