As cities across Australia continue to grapple with rising demand, tighter development constraints and increasing pressure to deliver more liveable urban environments, artificial intelligence is rapidly emerging as one of the most disruptive forces in the built environment. Yet according to smart cities expert and architect Matthias Hollwich, Founder and Principal of HWKN Architecture, many in real estate are still underestimating just how fundamentally AI is reshaping the way cities are imagined, designed and delivered. Working at the intersection of architecture, technology and culture, Matthias brings a perspective that blends design thinking with commercial awareness, an increasingly important combination as development decisions become more data-driven and less intuition-led. He says AI is not simply an incremental tool, but a structural shift comparable to major architectural movements of the past. AI as a generational shift in design thinking For Matthias, the impact of AI extends well beyond efficiency or workflow improvements. It is already reshaping how architects think about creativity itself. “I believe that AI is one of the most radical changes that is happening in the world for decades, and I sometimes refer to it that we are now at the same time when modernism really emerged within the world, with Bauhaus for example, in Germany, because it touches everything, right? “It touches the way how we search, the way how we research, and also how we design, and it’s a very interesting kind process and a very interesting future we’re getting into, and AI has so many different potentials.” Specifically for real estate professionals, he says the shift is significant. AI is no longer confined to optimisation tools, it is influencing how ideas are formed at the earliest stages of feasibility and design. Recognising this change will influence how agents position, pitch, and sell developments. From intuition to data-led