Lesson 3: Understanding AI limitations and strengths

Alright, before we fall completely in love with AI, we need to have the “let’s be realistic” conversation. Because AI is incredible, but it’s not perfect. And knowing what it can and can’t do will save you so much frustration.

What AI is AMAZING at:

Mood and Atmosphere: AI absolutely nails the feeling of a space. You want moody, dramatic lighting in a restaurant? Cozy, warm vibes in a reading nook? It gets it. The emotional quality is often stunning.

Material and Texture: The way AI renders velvet, marble, wood grain, linen—it’s honestly breathtaking. Sometimes more beautiful than real life.

Style Synthesis: Want to see what happens when you combine Japanese minimalism with Moroccan textiles? AI will show you in seconds. It’s fearless about mixing styles.

Speed and Iteration: We’ve talked about this, but it’s worth repeating. The speed is game-changing.

Unexpected Inspiration: Sometimes AI will generate something you’d never have thought of, and it’s perfect. Those happy accidents are gold.

What AI struggles with:

Architectural Accuracy: Here’s the big one. AI doesn’t understand physics or building codes. It might create a window that’s structurally impossible, or a ceiling height that makes no sense. It doesn’t know that load-bearing walls exist.

Specific Measurements: You can’t say “make this room exactly 12 feet by 15 feet” and trust it got it right. Proportions can be… creative.

Text and Signage: If you need a restaurant design with a menu board or signage, the “text” AI generates is usually gibberish. Like, beautiful gibberish, but gibberish.

Hands and Complex Objects: This is getting better, but AI still sometimes struggles with things like detailed furniture hardware, complex light fixtures, or anything with lots of small, specific parts.

Consistency Across Images: If you generate one image of a living room and then try to generate the same room from a different angle, it won’t look the same. AI doesn’t have a “memory” of the space.

Real Products: You can’t say “put that West Elm sofa in this room” and expect it to look exactly like the catalog photo. AI creates things that look like that style, but not the exact piece.

Following Complex Instructions: The more specific and complicated your prompt gets, the more likely AI is to ignore parts of it or interpret it differently than you meant.

Here’s how to think about it:

AI is incredible for concept development, mood boarding, and client communication. It’s not a replacement for construction documents, accurate floor plans, or sourcing real products.

Use it in the early, creative phases. Use it to sell your vision. Use it to explore ideas. But when it comes time to actually build or order furniture? That’s where your professional expertise takes over.

I like to think of AI as a really talented intern who’s amazing at sketching and has incredible instincts, but doesn’t quite understand how buildings work yet. You wouldn’t hand them the keys to a project solo, but you absolutely want them on your team.

Make sense? Good. Now let’s move on to comparing the actual platforms you’ll be using.