Imagine fewer traffic jams during your commute. Faster emergency response when disaster strikes. Smarter use of energy that keeps the lights on without overloading the power grid.
This is the promise of Hua Wei’s research: using artificial intelligence, or AI, to help cities — and the people who run them — make smarter, more trustworthy decisions.
Wei is an assistant professor of computer science and engineering in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. He is developing tools that bridge the gap between data and action, ensuring that decision-making systems are not only intelligent but also transparent, adaptable and grounded in real-world needs.
“I want to help people make better decisions,” Wei says. “Not just in city planning, but in daily life. Computer science can support that in a powerful way.”
That vision has earned Wei a 2025 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award. His AI-powered project is designed to help cities manage traffic, public health and energy systems more efficiently through intelligent, human-centered decision tools.
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