Neural networks and the new professional ethics of architecture: iMak AI Lab at Perspektiva 2026

The Perspektiva 2026 festival, one of the key events in architecture and urban planning, was held in Moscow. Its programme included the round table "Neural networks in the service of the architect: the new ethics of the profession", which brought together leading experts in technology and design.

Ilya Makarov, head of iMak AI Lab, took part as an expert in artificial intelligence. The discussion focused on where AI genuinely augments an architect's work, and where it introduces new risks to the quality of a project.

If a person was doing something at the level of routine, artificial intelligence will repeat it and do the work for them. But the question arises: how satisfied will they be with the result?

While the professional community admires new generative models and argues about the future of visualisation specialists, research continues to move forward. Our colleagues are actively developing new projects, including work on building energy modelling and 3D generation of architectural objects.

As AI develops, the architect acquires new areas of responsibility rather than losing the old ones. Reducing architecture — an entire field of science and art — to the generation of renderings would be an irrational approach that leads nowhere but stagnation.

The participants of the round table agreed: neural networks are a powerful instrument, but one that requires careful adaptation and deliberate use.