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Is AI replacing architects?

No, not so far. The number of architects is still growing in the US and in Europe, and very few practices say AI has cost them staff.

By the Sketchfest team6 min read

A senior architect and a junior architect reviewing a hand sketch together, with a render of the design on a laptop

It's the question behind most of the others. In RIBA's 2026 survey, 59% of respondents expected AI to lead to fewer jobs across the profession, yet only 9% said it had already cost staff in their own practice. The gap between the fear and the facts is worth a closer look.

What AI is replacing is some of the work: mostly the routine tasks that juniors used to learn on.

What the numbers say

If AI were replacing architects, you would expect to see it in the numbers. So far, you don't.

What we measuredLatest figureSource
Licensed architects in the USJust over 123,000 in 2025, up 6% on 2024NCARB, 2026
US architect jobs, forecastUp 4% from 2025 to 2035, about as fast as the average jobUS Bureau of Labor Statistics
Architects in Europe580,000, up 8% over the last decadeArchitects' Council of Europe, 2024
UK practices using AI74% on at least some projects, up from 59% in 2025RIBA, 2026
UK practices where AI has already led to staff cuts9%RIBA, 2026
UK practices expecting AI cuts in their own firm30%RIBA, 2026
UK respondents expecting AI cuts across the profession59%RIBA, 2026

Look at the last three rows together. Most people expect AI to cut jobs somewhere else in the profession. Far fewer expect it in their own practice, and only 9% say it has happened. RIBA's own coverage notes there is no clear evidence of sector-wide AI job cuts so far.

Why the worry is still real

The numbers above are about today. The concern is about where things are going, and it's focused on people starting out.

In RIBA's 2026 survey, 61% said AI will make it harder for early-career professionals to gain the skills and experience they need. The reason is simple: AI is automating routine tasks that used to be part of a junior's training. RIBA president Chris Williamson said AI's "greatest (and potentially most detrimental) impact" is likely to be on "entry-level and early-career roles".

Only 21% of respondents said AI makes them more optimistic about their organisation's future. Architects are using AI, and most report it makes them more productive (75%), but they're not cheering about it.

We have been here before: CAD

This isn't the first time a new tool has changed who does what in a studio. When computer-aided design (CAD) and later BIM arrived, a lot of hand drafting moved onto the screen, and architects started doing drawing work themselves that drafters used to do.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics still sees that effect today. It expects drafting jobs overall to grow only 1% from 2025 to 2035, because CAD and BIM let architects and engineers handle tasks that "used to be done by drafters". Yet architectural and civil drafters are still expected to grow 5%, and architects 4%.

The lesson: the tools didn't remove architecture. They changed the tasks, raised what one person can do, and moved people towards the parts of the work that need judgement. AI looks set to do something similar, only faster.

An architecture student sketching a building by hand in a busy studio, laptop open beside the sketchbook
Drawing, judging and deciding stay the most valuable skills.

What AI is replacing: tasks, not architects

Look at what architects actually use AI for. In RIBA's survey, the top use was early-stage design visualisation (about 56% of AI users), then compliance checking (40%), practice management (32%) and specification writing or technical design (24%).

These are tasks, not jobs. They used to take hours of someone's week. Now they take minutes, and the time goes back into design, clients and the site. For a deeper look at each part of the job, read Can AI do an architect's job?

The time saved is real. In the same RIBA survey, 75% of practices reported better productivity from AI, and 57% reported a positive return on what they spent on it. Saved hours can go two ways: fewer people doing the same work, or the same people doing more and better work. So far the evidence points to the second, with few practices reporting cuts and US architect jobs still forecast to grow.

How to make AI work for you

The architects who do well are likely to be the ones who use AI for the routine work and spend their time on what it can't do. A simple checklist:

  • Hand AI the repetitive visuals. Quick renders of options, test images, first drafts.
  • Keep drawing. Your sketch is the idea. AI should start from it, not replace it.
  • Check everything. Treat AI output like a new junior's work: useful, fast, and in need of review.
  • Be open with clients. Say which images are made with AI and what they are for.
  • Train the next generation on judgement. If AI takes the routine tasks, teach juniors the decisions behind them.

Let AI do the fast part, keep the design yours

Visualisation is where AI helps architects most, so it's a good place to start. General image tools like Midjourney are great for mood and inspiration, but you describe a building in words and the AI invents its own. Useful for ideas, less useful when a client needs to see your scheme.

Sketchfest starts from your drawing. It's built for architects: you upload a hand sketch, a CAD screenshot or a view of your 3D model, and get a photoreal render of that design in seconds. It follows your drawing, there are no prompts to write and nothing to install. That's AI taking over a routine task, while the design stays in your hands.

RenderHand sketch
RenderHand sketch
A hand sketch of a two-storey office building on a street and its render, made with AI in Sketchfest. Drag the line to compare.

Quick answers

Will AI replace architects in 10 years?

The official US forecast doesn't expect it: the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 4% growth in architect jobs from 2025 to 2035. The job will change, with more AI in the routine work, but buildings still need someone to design them and answer for them.

Which architecture jobs are most at risk?

Routine, entry-level tasks that AI can now speed up, such as first drafts and simple visuals. That's why RIBA's survey shows the strongest worry is about early-career roles, not the profession as a whole.

Should architecture students worry?

Not panic, but prepare. Learn to use AI tools well, and put real effort into the skills AI doesn't have: sketching, judgement, working with people and understanding how buildings are made.

Sources

  1. Building Enclosure, Number of US architects rose by 6% in 2025 (June 2026, reporting NCARB's survey of registration boards)
  2. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Architects (projections 2025 to 2035)
  3. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Drafters (projections 2025 to 2035)
  4. BUILD UP (European Commission), Architects in Europe: rising numbers (summary of the ACE 2024 Sector Study)
  5. RIBA, AI Report 2026 (1,100+ respondents, March to April 2026; respondents self-selected)
  6. RIBA, AI adoption reaches tipping point across UK architecture (July 2026)
  7. Building Design, More than half of practices believe AI will lead to staff cuts as adoption soars (2026, quotes RIBA president Chris Williamson)

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