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Co-hosted by the NYU Institute for Cities and Real Estate in Emerging Markets (ICREEM) and the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) Shanghai Alumni Association, the academic seminar “The Future Built: How AI Empowers Future Infrastructure and Smart Buildings” was successfully held on July 19, 2025, at NYU Shanghai’s Qiantan campus.
Distinguished guest speakers included:
Professor Zhang Guohua, Executive Director of ICREEM at NYU Shanghai
Associate Professor Tang Pingbo, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at CMU
Dr. Liu Xuesong, National Leading Talent and Chairman of QingTeng Technology
Dr. Lu Siliang, Senior AI Expert at Bosch Research and Adjunct Researcher at ICREEM, NYU Shanghai
Mr. Feng Lei, Chairman of the CMU Shanghai Alumni Association, Founder & CEO of TospurTech, and Founder of the 1024 Foundation
The event was hosted by Ms. Bo Gu, Senior Manager of Operations and Academic Affairs at ICREEM and CMU CEE alumna. The speakers explored cutting-edge technologies such as Large Language Models (LLMs), Embodied AI, and Human-AI collaboration, highlighting their applications in infrastructure development and real estate operations. The discussion also focused on how disruptive AI technologies can unlock a second wave of growth in the built environment sector.
Professor Zhang Guohua, Executive Director of the NYU Institute for Cities and Real Estate in Emerging Markets (ICREEM), delivered the opening remarks. He warmly introduced NYU Shanghai’s global education philosophy and the mission of ICREEM, highlighting the institute’s key achievements in teaching and research since its establishment. Professor Zhang emphasized that AI is not only a technological revolution but also a core driving force for the transformation and upgrading of the real estate industry. He called on stakeholders across sectors to jointly embrace the transformative opportunities brought by AI.
Professor Tang Pingbo from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University delivered a keynote speech titled “Human AI: The Future of Human-AI Collaboration.” He shared in detail how CMU promotes interdisciplinary integration by combining data science, human factors engineering, and civil engineering to address the rising wave of AI. Professor Tang focused on the concept of Human-Cyber-Physical Systems (H-CPS), emphasizing the synergy between humans and AI in infrastructure management. Through remote sensing, behavior analysis, and predictive modeling, intelligent operations and maintenance can be achieved in complex environments such as construction sites and airports. His presentation vividly illustrated the critical role of Human AI in enhancing industry efficiency and safety.
Dr. Liu Xuesong, a National Leading Talent and Chairman of QingTeng Technology, showcased groundbreaking applications of Large Language Models (LLMs) in the architecture and construction sector through real-world case studies. From detecting anomalies in electricity billing, to analyzing trackside imagery for high-speed rail failures, to monitoring drainage systems, Dr. Liu demonstrated how LLMs can efficiently process unstructured data—such as natural language feedback from human reviewers—and optimize time-series analysis and energy management. He emphasized: “AI not only reduces costs and minimizes human error, but also accomplishes tasks beyond human capability—such as real-time diagnostics of complex system failures—driving the industry from traditional workflows to intelligent systems.” His talk offered practical, deployable examples of AI-powered solutions for the built environment.
Dr. Lu Siliang, adjunct researcher at the NYU Institute for Cities and Real Estate in Emerging Markets (ICREEM) and Senior AI Expert at Bosch Research, focused her presentation on the emerging field of Embodied AI and its cutting-edge applications in smart buildings. She explained that Embodied AI is not just an evolution of robotics, but a manifestation of the “embodiment” of building systems—enabling them to perceive, learn, and make decisions like living organisms through multimodal sensors (e.g., temperature, humidity, gas, audio, and visual sensors). Dr. Lu shared practical use cases across commercial, residential, and industrial buildings, such as adaptive HVAC systems that enhance energy efficiency and occupant comfort through Human-Building Interaction (HBI). She emphasized: “Embodied AI represents the next frontier of AGI. While challenges in the physical world—like latency and safety boundaries—remain, it holds the potential to create a revolutionary symbiotic experience between humans and buildings.”
Mr. Feng Lei, Founder and CEO of TospurTech, Chairman of the Carnegie Mellon University Shanghai Alumni Association, and a serial entrepreneur in the fields of AI and cloud data, delivered the closing remarks. He spoke briefly about the value of the CMU alumni network, emphasized the essence of technology-driven innovation, and expressed his enthusiasm for deepening collaboration with NYU Shanghai’s Institute for Cities and Real Estate in Emerging Markets (ICREEM) to promote industry-academia-research integration further.
Artificial intelligence is a core driving force in reshaping the DNA of the real estate industry. The next generation of built environments—with capabilities in human-AI collaboration, dynamic sensing, and autonomous decision-making—will evolve into “intelligent living systems” at the heart of high-quality urban development. Industry professionals must fully embrace this paradigm shift, as it will define the true future of real estate in the age of transformation.
More than 70 professionals and senior executives from sectors including architecture, design, real estate, finance, and technology participated in the event. This academic seminar was not only a moment of intellectual exchange but also marked the beginning of ICREEM’s expanded efforts to integrate AI into real estate education and research, and to foster deeper synergy between AI and the real estate industry.