Master furniture designer Sebastian Errazuriz believes that the vast majority of architects will soon lose their jobs to artificial intelligence.
Errazuriz, known among woodworkers for his extremely intricate transformable wooden cabinets, made the claim in a series of videos posted to his Instagram account.
"I think it's important that architects are warned as soon as possible that 90 percent of their jobs are at risk," he said. "It's almost impossible for you to compete. The thing is - you're not that special."
He predicts that apps will soon be able to do everything humans do but in seconds. Clients will simply input what kind of building they want, budget, location, and any other preferences. The app then does it all, even recommending which contractor to use.
His prediction might already be on its way to reality. Delve, a new tool from Sidewalk Labs, uses artificial intelligence to create "millions of design possibilities" for entire cities in minutes. It provides options ranked on budget, location, size, and design.
The parametric Finch tool from Wallgren Arkitekter and BOX Bygg outputs adaptive plans.
Another tool, referenced by Errazuriz in a separate Instagram post, generates plans automatically.
"This is today," Errazuriz wrote. "Now try to imagine what 1,000 times this tech and 10 years will do to the industry."
He then recommended to architects that they train to become software developers instead.
Errazuriz is no stranger to provocative claims. Soon after the Notre Dame cathedral burned down last year, he suggested transforming the site into a launchpad for rockets.
A designer and artist first and foremost, Errazuriz' work covers everything from furniture and 3D-printed sculptures to phone apps and augmented reality. His latest project involved livestreaming the Earth as it appeared in space – captured from NASA and displayed outside on a Manhattan street via a 20-foot LED screen.
We covered his mindbending cabinets early last year, which were a big hit on our site.
Many of his cabinets are composed of a series of slats - each of which pulls on ones adjacent to it, allowing for a bewildering array of incredible configurations.
Each cabinet can take about a year of research and several weeks, if not months to fabricate, Errazuriz says. All are created in his 5,000-square-foot Brooklyn studio, which features a gallery and woodshop. He employs two full-time woodworkers, but may temporarily hire more based on a project’s complexity.
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