Shicong Cao

Shicong Cao is an architect and AI researcher building tools that change how architecture firms work. Trained in civil engineering and architecture, she is a licensed architect with international experience at HDR in San Francisco and heinlewischer in Berlin, where she led complex hospital and campus projects with a focus on evidence-based design.

Since 2021, she has focused on applied AI for the AEC industry. As founder of DataDrivenAEC, she builds AI agents that handle drawing code review, competition sourcing, and product research, compressing hours of architectural work into minutes. Her research focuses on how machine learning and semantic systems can make AEC data more structured, usable, and actionable for design teams. She also built Pulspace, a platform that turns occupant experience into live building data that informs operation and design.

A published researcher and international conference speaker, her work focuses on how AI can augment creative judgment, automate repetitive tasks, and strengthen analysis across architectural practice.