Asked AI to design my backyard deck and got a floating staircase to nowhere

I typed in my yard measurements and wanted a simple 12x16 deck with stairs. The AI generated something that looked like a modern art piece with no railings and a set of stairs that ended 4 feet above the ground. I showed it to my framing crew and they laughed for a solid 5 minutes before one of them said "that's a diving board without the pool." I learned to double check every dimension and code requirement before building off AI plans. Has anyone else gotten nonsense designs from AI tools for construction projects?

3 comments

3 Comments

ramirez.vera19h ago

God forbid I trust AI with anything vaguely spatial, I asked it to help me plan a little bookshelf layout once and it told me to put my 6 foot shelf on a wall that was literally 4 feet wide (maybe it thought I lived in a funhouse mirror dimension). My husband still brings it up every time I mention using any kind of automation for home stuff, like "remember when you almost committed architectural malpractice on a bookshelf." The floating staircase to nowhere is honestly a vibe though, I'd probably keep it just to watch my friends try to climb it while holding a drink. At this point I trust the estimated delivery time on Amazon more than I trust AI with measurements, and that's really saying something. My grandpa would take one look at these AI plans and say "did the TV remote design this" and I'd have no comeback.

miasanchez1d ago

That's a diving board without the pool" is basically the story of my life with DIY projects honestly. I once asked AI to plan out a simple garden path and it gave me something that looked like a crop circle for aliens (no joke, it was that weird).

tessaperry20h ago

I used to be the guy who thought AI could do no wrong in planning things out. I figured it was basically magic, you know? But then I asked it to help me figure out how to lay out some solar lights in my backyard to make a nice walking path. It spat back this weird spiral pattern with like 47 lights in a circle and a single one in the middle. Looked like a target for a UFO more than anything else. Totally changed my mind about trusting it for anything practical. Now I just use it for jokes and recipes, and even then I double check the measurements.