This week on Dezeen, we compiled an explainer of all the key facts you need to know about the Neom development in Saudi Arabia and its megacity The Line, which is proving to be the most controversial architecture project in recent history. Set to occupy around as much space as the entire country of Albania, Neom will be split into 10 different regions including a floating port, a ski resort in the Sarwat Mountains and a mirrored city for nine million people formed from two linear skyscrapers. Our explainer breaks down everything from how the project is financed to what architecture studios are working on its various different components. Saudi Arabia also revealed another strange-shaped skyscraper this week in the form of a giant cube, which is set to be constructed in the capital of Riyadh. Measuring 400 metres high and 400 metres long on each side, the Mukaab building is set to become the city's tallest building and will house two million square metres of shops alongside cultural and tourist attractions.

AI text-to-image software like Midjourney, DALL-E and Stable Diffusion has the potential to change the way that architects approach the creation and concept stages of designing buildings and products, experts say. In the past year, numerous technology companies have released software that uses AI systems called neural networks to convert users' text inputs into AI-generated images. The images created by these bots – including eerily real-looking imaginary buildings – have become an internet sensation and led to discussions about how they could impact the future of design and architecture. Bill Cusick is the creative director at one such company, Stability AI – which has released text-to-image software called Stable Diffusion and DreamStudio – and also has experience working with the software of the popular visualisation company Midjourney. He believes that the software is "the foundation for the future of creativity".

"Dyson is supercharging its robotics ambitions, recruiting 250 robotics engineers across disciplines including computer vision, machine learning, …

Lisbon musician Moullinex has shared an exclusive short music video showing an endlessly changing landscape of brutalist buildings drawn up by a generative design algorithm with Dezeen. Moullinex, whose real name is Luís Clara Gomes, created two videos that use artificial intelligence (AI) to imagine a series of brutalist buildings. The first video, which the artist shared on his Facebook page, is based on 200 photographs of modernist, concrete buildings. These images acted as the dataset, which was used to train a generative network via the machine learning tool StyleGAN2, to create a string of entirely non-existent buildings with similar characteristics. "It's akin to showing thousands of pictures of a cat to a child and then asking them to draw a brand new cat based on what they now know are cat-like characteristics," Gomes told Dezeen.

This captioned video produced by Dezeen for Autodesk reveals Philippe Starck's A.I. chair for Kartell, which the software company claims is the first chair designed using artificial intelligence to be put into production. Launched at the Salone del Mobile furniture fair during Milan design week 2019, the chair was designed by Starck using prototype generative design software developed by Autodesk. "This is the first chair in production created by artificial intelligence in collaboration with human beings," said the software company. Starck used Autodesk's prototype software to create a strong, stable chair using minimal material, via a process that he described as "a lot like having a conversation". "Kartell, Autodesk and I asked the artificial intelligence a question: do you know how we can rest our bodies using the least amount of material?"

Stephanie Chaltiel used drones to coat a shelter in clay, demonstrating a fast construction method that could be used in refugee camps and disaster zones. As part of designjunction during the 2018 London Design Festival the French architect and her team constructed Mud Shell, a sturdy domed shelter from bags of hay attached to a wooden lattice that was then sprayed with a mixture of clay and fibre using a drone. The resulting structure can be constructed rapidly, in this case just four days, from cheap, lightweight and readily available materials. It combines the ancient building techniques of wattle and daub with cutting edge drone application technology. Little sacking bags filled with hay were mounted on a formwork of wooden struts arranged in a dome shape.

Toymaker The Crafty Robot has launched a crowdfunding campaign for its latest design -- a DIY robot that can follow you around the house and bring you drinks. Smartibot is an educational, build-it-yourself toy for adults and children who want to become more familiar with robotics. The Crafty Robot describes the toy as the world's first artificial intelligence (AI) enabled cardboard robot. The AI it contains is a real-time object-detection system, which means that the small, smiling robot can be taught to recognise people, pets or vehicles and automatically follow them. Alternatively, the kit comes with two variant models of Smartibot that operate via remote control rather than automated AI: a teabot with cupholders to deliver drinks, and a unicorn with a little cardboard horn.

This week Dezeen released Elevation, an 18-minute documentary that explores the impact drones will have on our lives. Here, we take a look at 10 innovative ways drones will change the world. Customers of supermarket giant Walmart may soon be able to summon assistance from unmanned aerial vehicles using mobile electronic devices. The vehicles will help locate products in store and advise on prices by crosscheck information stored on the store's central databases. PriestmanGoode's fleet of urban delivery drones, called Dragonfly, are featured in Dezeen's documentary.