AI for Architects: Ichi CEO & USA AIA President on Future Practice

The Operational Burden on Modern Architecture

For many Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) architecture firms, the romantic vision of design is often overshadowed by the crushing reality of administrative overhead. In a recent episode of Practice Disrupted, hosted by 2025 AIA President Evelyn Lee, Ichi founder Brandon Levey highlighted a critical industry metric: architects are spending disproportionate amounts of time navigating dense building codes, managing RFIs, and handling submittals rather than designing meaningful spaces.

Tool Spotlight: Ichi's Approach to Code Compliance

The podcast highlighted Ichi, an AI-driven platform specifically engineered to tackle the "unbillable" friction of code compliance. Unlike generic Large Language Models (LLMs) that may hallucinate regulations, Ichi combines licensed code content with AI analysis. Levey noted that their proprietary tools can ingest new jurisdictional codes in minutes, maintaining accuracy through relationships with jurisdiction customers. For a 20-person firm, this translates to a massive reduction in non-billable research hours.

Addressing the "Silver Tsunami" via Knowledge Management

A critical insight for firm owners is the role of AI in knowledge transfer. As senior architects near retirement, their institutional memory - jurisdictional nuances and constructability insights - risks walking out the door. The discussion positioned AI tools not just as production accelerators, but as essential repositories for firm-wide wisdom, ensuring that a junior architect's query benefits from the firm's collective experience.

Practical Implementation: The Active User Model

One of the most significant barriers to AI adoption for SMEs is cost structure. Levey introduced a pricing model that specifically benefits smaller firms: Active User Billing. Instead of expensive annual seat licenses that sit unused, firms can invite their entire team but only pay for those who actively use the product in a given month. This allows firms to pilot the technology with low financial risk.

Onboarding and Support

Successful implementation requires more than just software access. The podcast outlined Ichi's high-touch onboarding process, which includes:

• Kickoff meetings and Lunch-and-learns to drive cultural buy-in.
• Shared communication channels (Slack/Teams) for real-time support.
• Self-serve resource libraries to empower power users.

For SMEs, this level of support is crucial. It shifts the burden of training off the firm principals and onto the vendor, ensuring that the transition to AI-assisted workflows is smooth and immediately value-additive.

Key Takeaways

• Shift to Active User Billing: Ichi utilizes a flexible billing model where firms only pay for team members who actually use the tool in a given month, significantly lowering the risk for SMEs piloting new AI tech.

• Automating Code Compliance: By combining licensed code content with AI, Ichi reduces the hours spent on manual code research and regulatory navigation, addressing one of the industry's largest operational pain points.

• Knowledge Transfer Strategy: AI tools are becoming essential for capturing the "institutional memory" of senior architects before they retire, preserving critical jurisdictional and technical knowledge.

• Data Privacy Assurance: Trust is the currency of AI adoption; firms must prioritize tools that guarantee proprietary design details and client data remain confidential and secure.

Practical Application

• Pilot with Low Risk: Utilize Ichi's active user billing model to deploy the tool to a specific project team (e.g., a complex healthcare or multi-family project) to measure time savings on code research without committing to a firm-wide annual contract.

• Digitize Institutional Knowledge: Begin using AI platforms to document and query specific jurisdictional nuances handled by senior staff, creating a searchable database for junior staff to access during QA/QC processes.

• Streamline Onboarding: Leverage vendor-provided resources (Slack channels, lunch-and-learns) to train staff on AI tools, reducing the non-billable training time required from firm principals.