Judgment & Judgement#
“Generation ≠ Judgment” - Me (2026)
“In your entire presentation, ‘Judgment’ is spelled wrong; you’re missing an e.” - Yen-Bei, IALAB Demo Day (2026)
This is the most “human” comment I’ve heard recently. In a Demo Day filled with AI, it stood out—a persistence from an architect. With just one sentence, he tried to point out the core value I was attempting to hide behind the technical demo.
I’m not sure if I’m over-interpreting, but this sentence didn’t just express his stance and perspective; it also indirectly responded to the theme I wanted to discuss: “How to weigh answers that have no right or wrong?” Judging, persisting, and expressing oneself are the true values of an architect. It’s also that “architectural flavor” that has been missing since I started graduate school. Architect Tai also commented: “Ambiguity and contradiction are the values where humans surpass AI.”
As Architect Chang recalled: “In the first year of graduate school, I was required to paint Greco-Roman columns in watercolor… he wanted you to know the light and shadow effects and the sense of volume of such things.” If today’s so-called architectural AI transformation is merely for efficiency, profit, or task-orientation, then to put it bluntly, the surface-level claims like “AI is not meant to replace humans” or “AI won’t replace architecture or designers” are just self-deception. This also echoes Lanier’s stance mentioned in the previous article: “People always degrade themselves to make machines seem smart.”
Actually, I really dislike the term “pain point,” just as “interdisciplinary” too easily becomes superficial. I believe that any AI development or application in the field of architecture must, from beginning to end, consider: what positive feedback will users gain from using it? Here, feedback isn’t about money or efficiency, but about knowledge, inspiration, thought, vision, and fun.
“…… As a rule, new modes of economy will lead to an increase of consumption according to a principle recognised in many parallel instances. It is the very economy of its use which leads to its extensive consumption.” - William Stanley Jevons, The Coal Question (1865)
I won’t directly quote the concepts proposed by Schön in The Reflective Practitioner here because, frankly, this person appears so frequently that I’ve started to suspect he’s an AI feature—the “Delve” of the design field.
The small application prepared for the Demo Day performance, Critique Canvas: May 17th to June 1st, 2 weeks, 4 Coding AI subscriptions, 1.6 billion tokens processed, connecting 7 types of AI. Using a relatively easy-to-understand format paired with improvised narration, I packaged a core of research that had been in development for half a year. There were some feedbacks and surprises. The surprise was that today’s ability to distinguish AI content is really not high. (Of course, it could also be that it wasn’t directly questioned at the venue, or simply that the standards weren’t high.)
But this also brings us back to the second sentence Yen-Bei followed up with: “To discuss AI, it must first be perfect.” Indeed, if perfection is not pursued, one will be blinded by shallow surfaces and noise, unable to see the essence.
Perhaps he didn’t realize that four months ago, I was also someone who wrote it as Judgement.
“If Le Corbusier were alive today, he would definitely be playing with AI earlier than anyone else.” - Professor Tseng (2026)
If, as Professor Tseng discussed, Le Corbusier was one who sought the essence of architecture, constantly changing and growing, then perhaps we are kindred spirits. Technology is the cornerstone of poetry; perfection is also the cornerstone of ambiguity.
Over the past week, I’ve viewed Le Corbusier from another perspective; and I’ve also provided a new perspective for everyone to view Le Corbusier.
Constant Change
AI is certainly interesting, but just like architecture, without humanity, it loses its soul. It’s not fun, not interesting.
Finally, I’ll quote a lyric I saw about a month ago to encourage myself:
Some are born to move the world. To live their fantasies. …… Sadder still to watch it die. Than never to have known it. ……
Take a break; it’s time to move forward.
“David might make mistakes, please verify.”
