KUALA LUMPUR: From designing smarter homes to creating more liveable cities, artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to reshape Malaysia's built environment as architects, developers and policymakers embrace a new era of technology-driven innovation. Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said AI was already being adopted by architects and civil servants in various aspects of design work, in line with the government's ambition of transforming Malaysia into an AI nation by 2030. "AI is no longer a vision. It is now part of our mission," he said when met after opening the Asean Real Estate Conference (AREC) 2026 and ARCHIDEX 2026 here on Thursday (July 30). Nga said architects and civil servants had already begun incorporating AI into their work, adding that the technology was gradually becoming part of the industry's day-to-day operations. "We are actually starting to implement it," he said, adding that Malaysia was well-positioned to embrace AI as it develops its sovereign AI capabilities and works with global technology company Nvidia. "Malaysia has great potential," he added. AREC x ARCHIDEX 2026 brought together architects, designers, developers, manufacturers, policymakers and other built environment professionals from Malaysia and abroad, while attracting thousands of trade visitors. In his speech, Nga said housing had evolved beyond providing shelter, with today's homes serving as places where people live, work, learn and build communities. "A house is built by bricks and mortar, but a home is built by hopes and dreams," he said, adding that the conference theme, "Rethinking Real Estate: Housing with Heart," reflected the need to place people at the centre of future urban development. "Our vision is clear. We want urban environments that are not only liveable, but also truly lovable," he said, stressing that quality housing should be complemented by access to jobs, education, healthcare, public transport and