Digital otherness in the design process: study on the interaction between architect and artificial intelligence

In the last decade, an unprecedented increase in the production of digital data has been observed. This accumulation of information in databases meant that research on computational models of Artificial Intelligence (AI) could be resumed and applied in real situations in the technology consumer market. We live in what appears to be a borderline period, in which electronic interfaces may stop showing inanimate behavior and start to interact with humans as another being – digital and intelligent. The present work aims to establish an understanding of the possible consequences of the application of such models of Artificial Intelligence in the architectural design processes. Establishing a historical panorama between the architectural design activity and the development of computing, the work presents a thought experiment based on three hypotheses for future scenarios of interaction between architects and AI. As a result, we aim to discuss a set of socio-political, technical and philosophical implications, in addition to indicate possible future paths for the ethical development of automation in the design process.