Algorithms as architects — AI is reshaping how we build cities

As weird as that may sound, the city has embarked on an ambitious project to collect data from its surroundings to build a virtual version of itself that, with the help of AI, can inform its officials how certain policy decisions could impact the city’s outcomes.

The project is just one of many ways that AI is impacting how we build and run our cities. Zaha Hadid Architects, the architecture firm behind iconic buildings such as the London Aquatics Center and the Guangzhou Opera House, has made no secret of its use of AI in recent years. The firm has admitted to using popular AI image generation tools like Dall-E and Midjourney to generate architectural designs for clients (pictured above).

Hassan Ragab is another architect who is harnessing the promise of generative AI to bring new ideas to his field. Ragab’s Instagram account has broken out from the sea of AI-generated architectural designs and received mainstream acclaim. The account showcases a number of creative AI-generated designs from skyscrapers with legs to fruit-shaped houses.

As architects look to generative AI tools to imagine possible futures, governments and policymakers are banking on sophisticated AI models to make better predictions about the future. Cities like Bologna in Italy are following Barcelona’s lead in creating a digital twin that acts as a sort of oracle for the city’s officials. “Thanks to AI, we can answer questions about what is going to happen without knowing exactly the law that drives the system,” says Jordi Cirera Gonzalez, director of the Knowledge Society at Barcelona City Council.