AI-Assisted Residential Layout Generation: A Comparative Study of PlanFinder and Human-Designed Apartment Plans in Polish Multi-Family Housing

In recent years, artificial intelligence has brought significant changes in architectural practice. The possibilities associated with generating forms on various scales have prompted reflection on the role and contribution of the architect to the design process. An important element of these considerations is the quality of the results provided by algorithm that generate formal and design solutions, in this case apartment plans. This article aims to determine whether artificial intelligence design software, PlanFinder version from February 2026, which is significantly faster and more efficient in delivering finished plans than even the most skilled designers, can achieve a quality comparable to that of professional architects. Based on selected parameters that allow for an objective assessment of apartment plans, a comparative analysis was conducted between the designer’s work and the results of generative algorithm of the mentioned above software. Using case studies of completed residential projects, an assessment was made of whether and to what extent artificial intelligence can provide reliable support in automating the process of creating apartment layouts, whether it can be assigned specific tasks, or a hybrid approach involving post-production and correction of the results is required. The article which is an exploratory evaluation of early-stage PlanFinder outputs shows that, in spite of generating rapidness there are still significant flaws regarding building-code compliance.