The NCARB Board of Directors has updated the following statement in April 2026 related to NCARB's position on the use of AI in architectural practice and its impact on regulation.

Advancements in generative artificial intelligence (AI) and computational design are providing architects with new labor-saving tools and evolving many of the tasks associated with project delivery. The proliferation of AI use in practice is raising legitimate questions about how the responsibility and accountability of the architect might be altered by this technological wave.

NCARB is committed to ensuring that the requirements for licensure have the adaptability and agility to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public, even as the increased adoption of generative AI continues to transform the role and skillset of the architect. 

Through the development of national standards for licensure—including competency expectations at the point of initial licensure—NCARB and its member licensing boards will ensure that the regulation of the profession considers both modern practice methods and the overarching responsibility that rests with the architect.

Our Focus

NCARB has identified the following guiding principles to help maintain the responsible use of AI within the architecture profession: 

  • AI is a tool, not a replacement for professional judgement. Only a licensed practitioner may seal and take legal responsibility for technical submissions. Regardless of AI tools used by practitioners, it remains the architect’s responsibility to provide services in conformance with the standard of care.
  • Regulators should not limit technological advances within the profession or the tools used by practitioners. Such limitations fall outside NCARB’s mission and expertise, and could delay or subdue evolutions in practice that could better serve the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
  • Any proposed regulation that addresses AI usage in practice must ensure the licensed practitioner remains in responsible control. By developing clear, practical guidelines that maintain the architect’s responsible control and ensure compliance with regulatory standards, regulators can support responsible AI use in their jurisdictions.
  • AI tools should provide transparency into their underlying systems. In order to maintain responsible control, the architect must understand how the tools they use are operating. Practitioners must ensure that the data used to train, test, and run AI models is high-quality, relevant, and free from known biases that could lead to unfair or inaccurate professional decisions. Additionally, regulators and architects must call for greater transparency into AI tools’ underlying systems in order to maintain professional accountability.
  • NCARB is committed to staying apace with the profession. Through Pathways to Practice, the organization is working to evolve a more flexible licensure process that can better adapt to rapid advances in technology and practice.  

In alignment with these guiding principles, NCARB plans to work with its licensing board members to further explore two areas regarding guidance and best practices for the architect’s use of AI:

  • Regular reassessment of responsible control parameters to determine whether they appropriately address the use of AI tools.
  • Identification of best practices for ethical AI usage, including determining whether, when, and how the use of AI and its supporting datasets should be declared.

Going forward, NCARB will continue to monitor the expanding use of AI across practice and its potential interface with the regulatory mission of NCARB and its members. NCARB remains committed to collaborating with its licensing board members to ensure the best interests of the public are served through the effective and reasonable regulation of architectural practice.