Systematics of AI tools supporting creative problem-solving and inventive methods in architectural design

The dynamic development of AI tools significantly influences contemporary design processes, including architectural design. These tools open new perspectives for creators, supporting them at various stages of their work. AI is becoming a key element in assisting designers in architecture. However, there is still a lack of a systematic approach and classification of these tools regarding creative problem-solving, inventive methods, and intuitive and metaphorical thinking. This article aims to analyse the potential use of available AI tools to support inventive methods in the creative problem-solving process. The first objective is to systematize AI tools with potential applications within inventive methods. The second objective is to identify ways of utilization at different stages of the creative process. The analysis is based on data gathered through desk research and the classification according to criteria of popularity and functionality. Tools were grouped into five application areas, relating them to the stages of the creative process. The research applied literature analysis, observation, deduction, and synthesis methods. Additionally, the research process was based on inventive methods: finding connections, alignment between theories, example excursions, mind mapping, deduction and intuitive method that served as the impulse for conceptual actions at each research stage. The result is an open systematization of AI tools, enabling designers to compare and select tools that best suit their preferences. The classification, according to application areas, allows for the selection of a tool based on the nature of the inventive methods used and the stage of the creative problem-solving process. The developed tabular summaries facilitate a straightforward identification of tools appropriate for specific tasks. The research findings highlight the need for further verification of the practical application of AI tools and their incorporation into architectural education, which will enable a fuller utilization of the potential of these technologies in the design process.