Architectural Design in the Age of Generative AI: Toward a Balance Between Efficiency and Responsibility

Since 2022-23, the rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has begun to reshape architectural design practice. Beyond accelerating design efficiency, generative AI is redefining creativity, professional expertise, and the ethical responsibilities of architects. This study examines both optimistic and skeptical perspectives on generative AI in architecture through a critical narrative review drawing on practitioner publications, professional discourse, and academic literature. The optimistic view highlights productivity, creative expansion, and data-driven sustainability, whereas the skeptical view raises concerns about professional deskilling, cultural bias, black-box opacity, and environmental costs. Synthesizing these tensions, the paper proposes an integrated framework built on three practical agendas: (1) redefining the architect’s role from passive approver to critical curator who strategically evaluates and integrates AI-generated outcomes; (2) establishing ethical governance to ensure transparency, fairness, and sustainability in AI-assisted design; and (3) reforming architectural education to cultivate integrative practitioners capable of critical reasoning and interdisciplinary collaboration. This study provides a roadmap for integrating generative AI into architectural practice in ways that enhance both efficiency and social responsibility.