The Drawing is dead, Long live the Drawing! The Role of Architectural Drawing in the Digital Ecosystem: Continuity, Control, and Transformations across Generative AI, CAD, BIM, and XR

Abstract

The contribution proposes a critical reflection on the role of architectural drawing within the contemporary digital ecosystem, shaped by the integration of CAD, three-dimensional modeling, BIM, XR environments, and generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
The paradox “The Drawing is dead, Long live the Drawing!” does not announce the end of drawing; rather, it highlights the Drawing’s transformation from a productive practice into a cognitive device for controlling and verifying the project.
The paper frames the evolution of AI by distinguishing between Artificial Narrow Intelligence and Artificial General Intelligence, and analyzes generative models based on machine learning and deep learning, emphasizing their probabilistic nature and the gap between visual plausibility and semantic understanding.
In this context, the designer is no longer only the author of the sign, but also responsible for the conditions that guide image generation. Through a comparative analysis of traditional tools and AI applications, structured around the main phases of representation, the contribution shows that these technologies are particularly effective in the exploratory and communicative stages, enabling the rapid production of alternatives and visualizations.
However, limitations persist in terms of geometric control and design coherence, highlighting the distinction between a plausible image and a technically and semantically coherent design.
The contribution concludes that AI does not replace drawing but redefines its functions, reaffirming its role as a critical practice that mediates among conception, representation, and the project’s cultural responsibility.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20365/disegnarecon.36.2026.1