ArchLIGHT Summit 2025: Intelligence by Design, How AI is Reshaping Lighting Workflows
Almost every conference now has at least one session on Artificial Intelligence as it is no longer a distant concept. it has entered design studios and job sites, changing how professionals think, work, and deliver. At ArchLIGHT Summit, the 90-minute session Intelligence by Design: How AI is Shaping Lighting, Architecture, and Everyday Workflows drew a packed crowd eager to learn what AI means for the future of the lighting.
The conversation was moderated by Jonathan Ayala, Co-Founder and Principal of The Lighting Exchange, who promised the audience they might feel “a little bit overwhelmed” but would walk away with plenty of ideas to test in their own practices–and he was right!
Expanding Possibilities
Joshua Miller, Manager at Acuity Brands, described how AI is transforming visualization. “Adding a simple upscale or detail at the very end of a job elevates almost everything we touch to near photographic quality,” Josh said. He noted that AI has also encouraged broader participation. “In brainstorm events, there are normally people that wouldn’t even sketch an image. Now almost every single person is contributing in a meaningful way.”
Josh has spent more than a year experimenting with generative video platforms, posting results on LinkedIn. His biggest lesson was simple: “Do something once a day. Create something once a day. It pays massive dividends.”
The Challenge of Realism
Lisa Reed, Principal at Reed Burkett Lighting Design, addressed a common pitfall: clients confusing AI imagery with reality. “A client comes to us with, ‘I saw this thing, I want this,’ and this thing does not exist,” Lisa said. “It’s adding time to our workload—getting as close as you can to what not even they imagined, but what their chatbot imagined.”
Lisa stressed the danger of presenting AI renderings that look like finished photographs in the conceptual phase. “The client is not going to perceive that as just an idea,” she explained. She prefers sketchier, watercolor-style imagery early in the process to keep expectations grounded.
Iteration at Speed
Ludovick (Ludo) Michaud, Associate Principal and VFX Director at Corgan, emphasized iteration as AI’s greatest benefit. “The biggest impact is visualization—it speeds up a lot of things. You can sketch something and, based on three lines, AI will show you a possible outcome. That’s amazing,” Ludo said. But he added a warning: “It’s important to remember—this is just an idea, not the final design.”
Ludo also highlighted the risk of overreliance. “If we just drive everything by AI, we’re not creative anymore. We’re just monkeys hitting a keyboard. Our identity as designers is at stake.”
Collaboration and Risk
Carla Bukalski, Principal of Strategy & Operations at Reed Burkett Lighting Design, discussed how AI changes teamwork. “Using AI is kind of brainstorming with yourself,” Carla said. “It seems so smart, but you can get lost in going back and forth with ChatGPT and then ignore all the people around you.”
She also flagged the dangers of overconfidence. “AI speaks with authority even when it’s wrong. It’s extremely dangerous in lighting design where safety and compliance matter. We are still the experts—AI is not.”
On sustainability, Carla was candid: “There are 1,240 data centers in the U.S. with more being built every day, many in high water-stress areas. Some use up to a million gallons of drinking water a day. The only way we can ethically justify this is if AI helps itself solve these problems.”
Audience Participation
Jonathan turned the session into an interactive exercise, handing out red and green paddles to track real-time reactions.
Sketch vs. AI Rendering
He asked if clients value hand-drawn sketches or watercolors more than AI renderings. Almost every paddle went green, showing that traditional artistry still carries more weight than polished digital images.
Jobs Created or Replaced
When asked if AI will replace more jobs than it creates, the audience gave a mixed response. Many red paddles signaled optimism that AI will augment roles rather than eliminate them. A smaller cluster of green showed continued concern about job losses.
Disclosure of AI Use
On whether designers should disclose AI use in deliverables, paddles split between red and green. The divide echoed the panel’s debate: some stressed disclosure builds trust, while others felt AI is now so common that disclosure is unnecessary.
Design Software Integration
Jonathan asked if AI will be embedded in all design software within three years. Nearly every paddle went green, though a few panelists joked the timeline was closer to six months. The vote reflected how quickly designers expect AI to become inseparable from daily tools.
Value of Human Creativity
Finally, Jonathan asked if clients will value human creativity more in the AI era. A sea of green paddles signaled confidence that human input will remain essential, even as AI reshapes design processes.
Looking Ahead
The session ended with a speed-round of rapid-fire questions. Asked to sum up AI in lighting today, Lisa responded “terrifying,” Ludo said “fun—just be careful,” and Carla added “helpful, but with an asterisk.”
Jonathan closed by reminding the audience that AI is not just a passing fad. It is already embedded in design workflows, and within a few years it will be part of nearly every tool designers use. The challenge now, as the panel made clear, is to use it wisely—balancing efficiency and creativity while never losing sight of human judgment.
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