A.I. & Interior Design: Will AI Replace Interior Designers? [part 1]
Let's talk AI.
I’ve been dipping my toes into A.I. lately. I went to an AI Meetup for designers in San Francisco a few weeks ago, I’ve dabbled in ChatGPT and Midjourney more since, and I’m off to an AI Users conference back in SF at the beginning of next week.
One day is A.I. for marketers and the next is A.I. for designers. I’m passing on the A.I. for developers day - a bit of CSS in Squarespace is my limit, and besides, that's way too many socially awkward guys per square foot.
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I also posted this “Cliff house in Capri” AI generated project that’s been making the Insta-rounds. The weird thing is I've noticed some accounts refusing to acknowledge when a project is AI generated even when they're aware.
The account where I had most recently seen it had credited the creator but made no mention that it’s AI. Numerous commenters already knew otherwise and made their voices heard.
Then I saw the account had just edited their caption minutes before, yet didn’t acknowledge that it was AI. I don’t understand the motivation behind this. (If you have an idea why, fill me in please.)
So there’s a lot of concern on social media about designers not crediting projects as AI. I fully believe they should, but in the grand scheme of things, I’m also not all that concerned. People are going to do illogical things on social media (TikTok Tide pod-eating trend anyone?) and unethical too, but they've been doing that for years and AI is just one more opportunity.
I’m not trying to make light of it - people are worried because they believe designers may try to pass off AI as actual built projects on social or even their website portfolios as a way to gain attention or clients and circumvent legit designers and their work in the process.
My view is if a home design professional is inclined to practice unethically, they will find a way to do it, but they probably won't be in business for long.
Heck a few months back I found a designer very close to where I live who has made a website entirely from royalty free stock imagery. Maybe that's next week’s newsletter…
In general though, I think someone who does this is going to be outed pretty quickly. Interior design clientele are a savvy bunch. They wouldn't be able to afford luxury services like interior design otherwise.
Most are going to dig a lot deeper than IG posts before they sign a contract and plunk down their hard-earned money.
And think about it - how long will someone be in business if they bite off way more than they can chew via fake projects? Anyone populating their portfolio with AI generated imagery better be in the rendering business, otherwise they’re going to be in a real bind when it comes time to actually execute the work.
The purpose of interior design is to build ‘the thing’. When the cabinets have to *actually* fit the space, skill can’t be faked.
Think about it: creating conceptual design options, drafting plan sets, managing the projects, procurement, working with industry professionals etc. etc. - everything designers do takes a whole lot of experience and knowledge. Trying to short-cut it is a recipe for a short-term business and potentially long-term legal problems.
Reputation is everything.
Website templates & DesignerGPT
Just as interior designers have their AI concerns, so do I. Yesterday I saw a recommendation for DesignerGPT and the claim was it can make good-looking landing pages and websites. I've seen these proclamations before, and as a Squarespace website designer and template creator, the first few times they made me nervous.
"Am I even going to be able to keep doing this or will I be replaced by ‘the robots’ in a year!?" 🤖
Then I pretty quickly realized "Hey - anyone who signs up for Squarespace automatically gets a template, and they look good too.”
(BTW - if you need a new website, consider my Linden Squarespace template for interior designers that comes with a full digital course to quickly get you launched, and you'll have fun creating it along the way.)
We've all heard the saying "garbage in, garbage out." This especially holds true for AI. You are the architect of your ChatGPT or Midjourney or whatever task. If you don't have the skills to prompt it appropriately, your results will be less than inspiring or helpful. Trust me.
ChatGPT and Midjourney can't (yet) take a set of 2D CAD plans and create a 3D model. Not to mention, someone still has to create those plans.
A website created by DesignerGPT isn't going to be optimized or styled specifically for a home design business. In addition, it won't host your site or do any of the myriad other components that an all-in-one platform like Squarespace does, from automatic site security to ecommerce to Google Analytics and email campaign integrations.
I also felt better after reading the following:
Large language models like ChatGPT are capable of understanding Python snippets but are less efficient with complex HTML codes or CSS stylesheets. This suggests that ChatGPT may help provide valuable insights during website builder projects, but traditional developers may still be needed for some tasks, such as responsive design.
Whether web design or interior design, the above shouldn't be surprising. Your clients could certainly draw up a "plan" on paper, pick a paint palette, and order up some furniture. Would it result in a skillfully designed space? No.
Garbage in, garbage out.
Am I saying AI won't infringe on some of my work? Not at all. It absolutely will at some point as it continues to develop.
AI will also no doubt create new opportunities for me. The same is true for interior designers.
Specifically, I see AI as having wonderful potential to create Conceptual Design mockups for clients.
So my game plan is to invest some time and effort into getting acquainted with it now so I'm not caught unawares when it's about to either infringe or generate (#sorrynotsorry) opportunity. 😁
So that's my basic position for now. What are your thoughts about AI? Are you concerned, intrigued, or both? Leave a comment below and let me know.
Other home design professional business-building posts you’ll love:
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