Insights: AI for Architects [September 2025 Edition] 💡✨

Hey there!

As Q3 comes to a close, I've been reflecting on the balance between exciting wins, growth, and new opportunities alongside the inevitable challenges that come with leadership. Like many of you, I'm learning how to navigate these ups and downs with gratitude and grace.

One thing that has helped me is compartmentalizing. Over 18 years of running a business, I've developed this skill — not perfectly, but enough to keep moving forward while holding both the wins and the struggles.

Q3 Momentum

This quarter has been strong for MGS. Business has picked up, and the time I spent at home in August and September gave me room to step back, think strategically, and prepare for what's ahead — especially as AI continues to reshape our industry. How has your firm's relationship with AI evolved this quarter? I'm curious to hear where you've seen the biggest shifts.

On Stage at AEC Thrive 2025 

On October 2, I'll be joining an incredible lineup of AEC leaders at AEC Thrive 2025 in Chicago. My talk, "From Hesitation to Innovation: How AI is Transforming AEC Workflows Right Now," will highlight practical strategies for firm leaders ready to embrace AI today.

💡 As part of my professional circle, you can use code SPKR200 for $200 off registration: psmj.com/thrive 

As we step into Q4, I'd love to know: What's one workflow challenge you're hoping AI might help solve in your practice? Or if you've already started experimenting, what's been your biggest surprise — positive or negative?

Hit reply, I'd love to hear your perspective!

Until next time,

🎧 New Podcast Episode: Cutting Through the AI Noise

AI is transforming the AEC industry — but choosing the right tools can feel overwhelming. From endless demos to overhyped promises, it's easy to waste time and money without a clear strategy.

In this episode, I sit down with Stjepan Mikulić, CEO of AI in AEC, to unpack how architects and designers can cut through the noise and pick AI tools that truly add value.

Key takeaways:

• How small teams can save millions with smart AI choices

• Why AI needs to align with your firm's long-term goals (not just shiny tech)

• The biggest misconceptions about AI and data privacy

• A 9-step process for AI adoption that actually works

💡 Bonus: We also dive into entrepreneurship, work-life values, and what true success means beyond just numbers.

👉 Listen on Apple Podcasts
👉 Listen on Spotify

🏗️ Architecting With AI
See in real-time how AI is used in designing the built environment.

The state of AI in architecture: new insights from 1,200+ architects. A global survey offers a deep dive into how AI tools are influencing creativity, productivity, and project workflows. Leading voices in the field discuss the practical adoption of generative design, visualization, and intelligent automation, showing that a growing majority of architects are actively integrating AI into daily practice to streamline design and enhance outcomes.

"Only by embracing AI can you be involved in controlling it" says LookX founder Wanyu He. In a thought-provoking interview, Wanyu He discusses why taking an active role in AI development, and not merely reacting to its changes, is essential for architects and designers. She argues that active engagement can empower professionals to shape how, and to what extent, AI enters creative practice and client work.

The Plan and the Prompt: How AI Is Rewiring Design and Practice. This feature explores how architects and studios are experimenting with text-to-design workflows, using AI prompts as a new creative catalyst. Case studies show how both large and small firms are using generative design to reimagine everything from initial sketches to final construction drawings, signaling an evolving relationship between design intent and machine computation.

🗓️ AI in Motion: Events You Can't Miss Right Now

Architectural Katas Q4 2025: AI-Enabled Architecture. Dive into hands-on generative AI for software architecture challenges starting with the kickoff on October 14, 2025 (online event; full series spans Q4). This interactive workshop series invites teams of architects and designers to tackle real-world problems using AI tools, with judging, peer solutions, and opportunities to learn from experts. Perfect for blending AI with architectural creativity. Registration for teams opens post-kickoff.

CDAO Fall 2025. Boston, October 14–15. This event zeroes in on Chief Data & Analytics Officers and how AI can be leveraged at leadership levels, especially in large organizations overseeing digital transformation and analytics integration.

🏢 Beyond Design
Get your fill of AI news beyond the field of architecture.

RIBA releases annual AI Report 2025: Survey reveals 41% of UK architecture firms now integrating AI into design workflows. The Royal Institute of British Architects' latest report highlights rapid AI adoption in practice, from generative tools for concept images to automation in project management, with expectations of even broader use in sustainability analysis by 2026.

Anthropic launches Claude 4 with enhanced memory and tool-use for complex task. Building on its writing style features, Anthropic's newest model family, Claude Opus 4 and Sonnet 4, excels at long-term autonomous operations, creating "memory files" for continuity and parallel tool integration, ideal for iterative creative processes like drafting technical reports or simulating design scenarios.

MIT study shows simpler AI models rival deep learning for accurate climate forecasts. In a challenge to resource-heavy neural networks, basic climate prediction algorithms outperformed complex deep learning on temperature projections, while highlighting DL's edge in rainfall estimation, key for urban planners modeling flood risks without excessive compute demands.

Thank you for subscribing to the AI for Architects newsletter, the official companion to the AI for Architects podcast hosted by Aya Shlachter! We're thrilled to have you with us as we explore the transformative role of AI in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. 

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