An artificially intelligent housing system? The housing crisis and the emergence of AI

On October 22, the HKU Urban Systems Institute, through its Land and Housing Systems Cluster, hosted a public forum as part of the Urban Systems Forum, titled “An Artificially Intelligent Housing System? The Housing Crisis and the Emergence of AI.” The forum featured Prof. Sophia Maalsen, Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney, as the keynote speaker. Prof. Jin Zhu served as the chair of the event.

At the beginning of the forum, Prof. Zhu welcomed all participants and introduced Prof. Maalsen, whose pioneering research bridges digital technologies and urban housing studies. The audience responded warmly, showing strong interest in the timely topic.

Prof. Maalsen delivered a thought‑provoking presentation focusing on how artificial intelligence and computational technologies are being mobilised to address global housing challenges. Her talk explored how AI reshapes housing governance and tenant advocacy, sparking lively discussion among attendees.

Following the presentation, the forum moved into a dynamic Q&A session. Prof. Chris Webster, Chair Professor from the Department of Urban Planning and Design, engaged in an in‑depth exchange with Prof. Maalsen on the implications of AI‑driven housing systems for future urban policy. Many audience members also joined the discussion, raising questions on detailed approaches within the case and data governance, to which Prof. Maalsen responded thoughtfully and engagingly.

In conclusion, the event chair thanked Prof. Maalsen for her inspiring insights and extended gratitude to all participants for their active involvement. The forum ended successfully, fostering stimulating dialogue on the intersection of technology, housing, and the future of urban systems.

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Abstract: In this presentation I will look at the way that technologies such as AI are being mobilised in discourse and in practice to address the housing crisis. I will identify some core gaps in our understanding that we need to pay attention to and present a landscape of the housing system that can work as a lens help us think through the application of AI in housing, before offering two possible ways to move research on housing and AI forward. I also propose a methodological orientation that will enable us to open up new ways of thinking about the impacts of AI in housing. Advancing beyond conventional approaches I draw inspiration from Hayles (2017), Maalsen (2023) and Iapaolo and Lynch (2025) to position AI as cognisers and collaborators in producing the housing system but which also opens up novel ways for intervention and resistance.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Sophia Maalsen is a former ARC DECRA Fellow and senior lecturer in the School of Architecture, Design and Planning at the University of Sydney. She is interested in how the translation of computational logics and technologies, including AI, are being applied to address issues of housing affordability and innovation, as well as looking at the potential role of technologies in tenant advocacy. Her research is predominantly situated at the intersection of the digital and material across urban spaces and governance, housing, and feminism, with particular interest in the digital mediation and reconfiguration of relationships across these spaces.