Artificial intelligence is moving quickly from experimental technology to practical business tool. For architects, interior designers, and other design professionals, AI platforms like ChatGPT are beginning to play a role in managing everyday business tasks.
In this session from the SketchUp 3D Summit, Brian Albert explores how AI tools can support the operational side of a design practice. Instead of focusing on theoretical possibilities, the presentation highlights real examples of how these tools are already being used to automate repetitive work and improve efficiency.
Many people think of ChatGPT as a tool for answering questions or writing text. However, the platform now includes a growing set of features that make it useful for structured workflows and automation.
Brian demonstrates several capabilities that expand what ChatGPT can do:
Together, these features transform ChatGPT from a simple chat interface into a flexible workflow assistant.
One of the most powerful capabilities discussed in the session is the creation of Custom GPTs. These are personalized AI assistants that can be trained with specific instructions and knowledge sources.
A custom GPT can be configured with documents such as:
Once trained, the GPT can reference these materials when answering questions or generating outputs. This allows the AI to produce responses that align with a firm’s preferred vendors, processes, and terminology.
For example, Brian demonstrates a material and finishes GPT that references supplier catalogs. When given a design scenario, the AI can recommend specific products, materials, and suppliers based on the uploaded information.
This approach allows firms to create specialized AI assistants for different roles inside their business.
Another practical use case involves generating proposals from meeting transcripts.
Many teams already use tools that record and transcribe meetings. By uploading a transcript into a custom GPT that understands the company’s services and pricing, the AI can generate a structured proposal.
The resulting output may include:
These documents can then be exported into formats such as presentations or reports, reducing the time spent assembling proposals manually.
The presentation also touches on emerging capabilities related to AI-generated media.
Modern AI tools can now create:
Brian demonstrates examples where automated workflows generate videos using AI voices, scripts, and imagery. These workflows combine multiple tools connected through automation platforms, allowing processes to run without manual input.
While these technologies are still evolving, they illustrate how AI may support marketing and communication tasks in the near future.
To help guide AI outputs more effectively, Brian introduces a structured prompting method called CRAFT:
Using structured prompts helps the AI generate more relevant and consistent responses, particularly for professional workflows.
For many design professionals, the most important takeaway from this session is that AI tools are becoming practical assistants rather than experimental curiosities.
Architects and designers spend significant time on tasks such as documentation, communication, research, and marketing. While these tasks are essential, they often pull attention away from design work.
AI tools like ChatGPT can help reduce the time spent on these repetitive processes by assisting with organization, summarization, and content generation.
The technology is still evolving, but the tools available today already offer meaningful opportunities to streamline parts of a design business.