ChatGPT, a plugin or an autonomous AI architect: which AI to choose?

Designers need AI they can hand work over to: a site plan with grading, sections and elevations, a complete design stage package or a code compliance check—and get the finished result back in their own DWG. That ability divides the tools on the market into four categories.

At a glance: a general-purpose chat assistant explains and writes scripts. An assistant inside CAD speeds up individual commands. A layout generator produces concepts. An autonomous architectural agent takes on the whole task and sees it through. ARAI is that kind of agent, built specifically for design professionals.

General-purpose chat: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini

General-purpose assistants have become part of the working day in almost every design practice. They are good at explaining requirements, helping draft responses to review comments, writing AutoLISP or Python scripts and interpreting screenshots of drawing sheets.

But a chat assistant works with whatever it can extract from a file and returns text. Opening a working DWG as a CAD application would, calculating from its objects and returning a new drawing with a fully documented result is outside its role. You still have to transfer its figures and check them manually. We explain how to get the most out of ChatGPT for drawings in ChatGPT for architects: working with DWG.

AI inside CAD: built-in assistants and plugins

AI has also arrived inside CAD applications: Autodesk Assistant in AutoCAD and assistant plugins that invoke commands and run scripts alongside your open drawing. This is convenient if you already spend your day in the editor: the assistant can suggest a command, find objects and speed up routine work.

The limitation lies in the workflow itself. You need the right version of a CAD application—AutoCAD, nanoCAD or BricsCAD—installed, a licence and a computer running it. The assistant handles individual steps, while you still assemble the complete deliverable: calculations, code checks and a properly presented drawing sheet. We explore the different layers of AI in AutoCAD in AI for AutoCAD.

Layout and concept generators

A separate category covers services that generate layouts, building placement on a site, parking options and massing studies. They are useful at the start of a project, when you need to show a client several options quickly.

Producing a working drawing sheet from your design is a different task. Coordinated elevations, schedules, calculations and compliance with your country's codes remain your responsibility.

ARAI: an autonomous architectural agent

ARAI is a fully capable engineering agent. Give it a brief as you would an experienced colleague and attach your source files. The agent interprets the drawings, chooses a method, calculates, draws, checks the result against applicable codes and returns a finished DWG and PDF drawing set.

Each task has its own agent workspace, equipped with tools for drawings, calculations and codes. ARAI carries out the work in the file and sees the task through to completion.

This is AI built specifically for design professionals. Every agent skill follows the way architects, site planning specialists and engineers work: design stages, disciplines, sheets, schedules, codes and expert review.

Tasks you can hand over to ARAI in full

• Site planning and grading. From a topographic survey and building placement: proposed and existing spot elevations, proposed contours, gradients and drainage, a grading plan, an earthwork volume plan and cut-and-fill balance, a surface finish schedule, and code checks for separation distances and access routes.
• Building design in the vertical dimension. Levels and storeys, sections, elevations, horizontal sections at a specified elevation, a 3D model, and exchange through IFC and SKP—coordinated with fire safety, accessibility and sunlight requirements.
• A complete design stage package. Concept design deliverables, a drawing register, coordination across the site plan, building and engineering disciplines, consistent key project metrics, and a completeness check of the drawing set before printing.
• Floor plans and project metrics. Room and apartment area take-offs, numbering and tags, room schedules, dimension strings and building area schedules—kept consistent after every revision.
• A drawing from a PDF, scan or photo. An editable DWG with layers, reusable blocks, text and true dimensions—checked against the source.
• Early-stage feasibility. For a warehouse, hangar or another building: site placement, volumes, materials, earthworks, a programme, a cost estimate with sources and a design brief.
• Structural steel. Checks of members, welds and bolted connections, frame analysis including seismic effects, steel shop drawing details, and export for SCAD++, LIRA-SAPR and Tekla.
• Facades. System selection, loads, support framing and anchors, details and specifications for ventilated rainscreen facades and glazed facade systems.
• Building services and landscape design. Checks of water supply, drainage, heating, ventilation and electrical calculations; landscape concepts for a courtyard or park, with alternative schemes.

ARAI runs in a browser on your phone or computer, with no CAD installation required. It accepts drawings from AutoCAD, nanoCAD, BricsCAD and other applications that save DWG files as they are. The result opens in the same application you use for your work.

Comparison at a glance

Why ARAI works the way it does

Nine months of real use. Since February 2026, practising architects and site planning specialists have been using and testing ARAI on their own projects. We continually observe how designers work with the agent, improve workflows and raise the quality of the results.

Design expertise within the team. We build the agent together with a team of professional architects and site planning specialists with more than 15 years of experience. Their track record includes more than 500 successfully completed projects and more than 100 passed expert reviews. ARAI therefore knows what a deliverable needs to look like to win client acceptance and pass expert review.

Experience building agents. ARAI is created by the CodeAlive team—developers with extensive experience building capable AI agents that work independently and see tasks through to completion.

The strongest models. ARAI runs on the most advanced frontier models, such as GPT-6 Astra, and selects the best model for each task: the strongest handles complex engineering work, while a lightweight, fast model handles quick steps.

Thorough verification. The agent checks its work after every critical step: it cross-checks calculations against the drawing geometry, cites specific code clauses and tells you directly when something needs your decision. You receive a result you can open, check and issue.

Working towards full autonomy. Our goal is an agent with engineering judgement that you can confidently entrust with substantial, demanding tasks: it quickly understands what needs doing, asks as few questions as possible and makes as few mistakes as possible.

Who ARAI is for

Site planning specialists, architects, lead design engineers, project architects, design engineers and landscape architects—in any country. ARAI works with the codes of the country you choose. For several countries, including Germany and Switzerland, the agent has its own detailed code library.

Frequently asked questions

How is ARAI different from ChatGPT? ChatGPT helps you understand a task and writes scripts. ARAI is an autonomous architectural agent: it works directly with your DWG, calculates, draws, checks compliance and returns a finished result.

Do I need AutoCAD or nanoCAD to use ARAI? No. ARAI runs in your browser: upload a DWG or DXF and receive a new DWG and PDF. You can open and refine the result in your usual CAD application—AutoCAD, nanoCAD or BricsCAD.

Can I give ARAI a substantial task rather than a single operation? Yes. That is what it is built for: a site plan with grading, sections and elevations, a complete design stage package or an early-stage feasibility study. Brief it as you would an experienced colleague.

Which countries does ARAI work in? Almost any country. The agent finds and applies the codes of your chosen country, with its own detailed code library for Germany, Switzerland and several other countries.

Give ARAI your task

Open arai.build/agent, describe your task and attach your source files. Get a free week of the Pro plan, with no card required. Start with a task on your desk right now—and one that usually takes a week.