I interviewed a current student and classmate at the BAC. She is an international student that has design knowledge prior to entering the BAC a few years ago. She currently works around the school and is involved with multiple school organizations.

SUMMARY

The individual is passionate about various creative pursuits such as crocheting, painting, and collecting sneakers, with a particular interest in arts, crafts, and fashion. She expresses uncertainty about labeling these interests as true passions. If given extra time in the design process, she would spend it on non-architectural activities, particularly baking, which they consider a passion. When defining design, the interviewee emphasizes the need for research, understanding, and consideration of people's reactions and opinions. She believes anyone can be a designer, but certification distinguishes those who can impact lives in the long term.

The interviewee acknowledges the impressive capabilities of image-generative AI but expresses concerns about its potential to deceive people. While undecided about using AI in the future, she considers it for tasks like creating diagrams, albeit with reservations about AI-generated work replacing her own. Regarding AI creating technical drawings, the interviewee sees potential benefits for architects but is also concerned about job displacement. She expresses dissatisfaction with the trend of replacing human jobs with AI, despite the convenience of technologies. The interviewee questions ownership when AI is involved in the creative process, feeling that guiding the AI diminishes the sense of true ownership. 

If not in the architectural/design field, she would have pursued psychology to become a therapist.

What are you passionate about?

I am passionate about a lot of things, but I don't know if I can call them passions because I don't have a certain one that is my own passion. I just like a lot of things to do. I like crocheting. I like painting. I like a lot of like, arts and craft. I can say that, arts and craft kind is my passion and fashion. I also have a collection of sneakers.

If you can save time in the design process, how would you fill that extra time?

I am passionate about a lot of things, but I don't know if I can call them passions because I don't have a certain one that is my own passion. I just like a lot of things to do. I like crocheting. I like painting. I like a lot of like, arts and craft. I can say that, arts and craft kind is my passion and fashion. I also have a collection of sneakers.

And if it was not work, how would you spend your free time?

If I just had extra time. I would probably not be doing something related to architecture. Oh, just baking, I love baking. Baking is my passion.

How do you define design?

That's a good question. I think that it's an overall of a lot of things. There are a lot of things that you need in order to have a design. You need design. The design needs research, understanding, and people's reactions, and opinions to them. 

How do you define a designer?

Anyone can be a designer, but you can be a certified designer or just a designer. Anyone can call themself a designer because they designed something, even [if] you make a cake and then you put a decoration on it. You can call yourself a designer, but you're not like a certified designer who can impact other people's lives. You, not as a certified designer, can impact people for the short term instead of the long term with the certification. 

What are your thoughts on image-generative A.I. being able to produce beautiful images in a short amount of time?

That's amazing. I was scrolling on TikTok and I had like a lot of videos of people trying to trick other people with the photos and asking, 'Hey, which image of this fire hydrant is AI? Or which one is real?' And, I knew which one was real and which one was AI, which is amazing for me. But I think that it is because I have those two months in AI, and I know how it looks. And I know which photo is made by AI and which is not. But then I feel like other people would not know. So, it can be tricky and I don't like that. 

Would you use AI as a tool in the future?

I don't know. We had this conversation last week. I am in between. I mean I would use it for diagrams or something that I need to show. Maybe if I don't have time to do a diagram. I would just ask AI and do it and then submit it. But it's not my own work, it's AI's work. But [AI] is showing I want to do something like that, but then I would just make it my own way. 

Using it as a precedent, not as my own work.

What are your thoughts if A.I. was advanced enough to create technical drawings?

I think that everyone can be an architect. I'm joking. There's a lot of other stuff that you need to become an architect. But still, if the AI becomes a drafter, I wouldn't know how I feel about that. I mean it can help me a lot. But then the drafters, they're not gonna have a job anymore. So that's sad and that's not a good thing to. I don't like that nowadays we are trying to replace human jobs with AI. Even though the self-checkout is amazing. I love the self-checkout more than going to a person. But still, I know that probably a lot of people were fired because they just replaced them and it's free. I mean, you're just paying what, 50 more dollars to the electricity bill and that's it. 

Does the work belong to the person if AI was used in the process? 

I have a lot of thoughts about that because honestly, I don't feel like I have 100% ownership of one picture. It's like you are just guiding the AI on what to do. But you're not actually doing, it's like you're teaching someone, 'I'm guiding you through the final part, but you get to the final part alone.' So I don't think you have that much ownership with it. 

I'm a very competitive person. And I like to do my own work and have all the narrative. The spotlight is mine.

What would you do if you were not in the architectural/design field? 

Psychology. I wanted to become a therapist before choosing architecture. But I realized that I just wanted to solve my own problems than other people's.