The Royal Institute of British Architects has released new data in its RIBA AI Report 2025, showing that the number of UK architecture firms using AI has increased by 18% from 2024 to 2025
Of the surveyed architects, 59% now use AI. This is up from the 41% that used AI in 2024. Many view AI as a potentially valuable tool for addressing some industry challenges.
The report shows that 65% of surveyed architects believe the technology will help the sector meet its net-zero targets.
65% said that AI will have an increasingly positive effect on productivity in the construction industry as a whole, and 63% believe it will enable architects and developers to create buildings that meet current and future performance requirements.
Concerns for job loss and lack of creativity and knowledge
However, 18% believe that AI will eventually lead to job losses, and 4% think that, ultimately, human creativity will no longer be needed for building design, as AI will replace it. 67% believe that AI is increasing the risks of work being imitated.
35% of respondents are concerned that AI is or will threaten the profession, and 44% are concerned that it will lead to human workers not having the knowledge required to design buildings without AI, increasing the chances of mistakes being made.
RIBA AI guidance
Still, overall opinions remain positive, with most saying that AI offers a route to enhance innovation and creativity in the architectural profession. As a result, RIBA is developing AI guidance to enhance transparency in its use.
The RIBA AI report 2025 can be read in full here.
RIBA president, Muyiwa Oki said: “What a difference a year makes. The sharp rise in AI use among our members illustrates how all-encompassing this technology is becoming and how willing architects are to embrace new ways of working, to achieve even better results.
“Despite the very legitimate concerns many have around imitation and the reliability of data, it’s clear that architects are keen to be on the right side of digital innovations and lead by example rather than be left to catch up.
“RIBA is committed to making sure the profession continues to reap all the benefits that AI offers and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
In June last year, the RIBA horizon scans showed that AI had not only caught up to CAD or BIM, but had actively surpassed them in terms of development speed, with Professor Philip Bernstein, the editor of the RIBA Horizons 2034 paper, saying: “Unlike earlier technology disruptors like computer-aided design (CAD) or even building information modelling (BIM), artificial intelligence has placed immediate demands on the architectural profession. It requires architects to understand and respond both within and without their practices.
“The Technological Innovation scans speculate on the future world of practice and set a vision for architecture’s response that must include proactive comprehension, strategic foresight, and a bias toward innovation.”
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