Akaki Darbuashvili's Work with ModernDesign: Making Property Discovery and Interior Visualization Smarter

It started with a blank apartment and a blank screen. Akaki Darbuashvili, then a young engineer from Tbilisi, Georgia, faced the same challenge as millions of urban dwellers: imagining a home in a space that felt anything but. Unlike most, however, Darbuashvili didn't just move in—he built a solution. Today, as the founder and CEO of ModernDesign, he is at the vanguard of a global movement to make property discovery and interior visualization not only smarter but fundamentally more human.

Darbuashvili's Vision Is Bringing AI to Every Corner of Real Estate

The real estate industry, long known for its reliance on intuition and tradition, is undergoing a seismic transformation. Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic buzzword but an everyday reality, powering decisions from how homes are valued to how they are marketed and managed. The numbers tell a story of explosive growth: AI in the real estate market is projected to leap from $222.65 billion in 2024 to $303.06 billion in 2025, a staggering 36.1 percent compound annual growth rate. By 2029, forecasts suggest it could reach nearly a trillion dollars, as AI becomes the backbone of everything from property search to tenant experience.

ModernDesign, under Darbuashvili's leadership, exemplifies this shift. The company's AI-driven tools streamline property discovery, automate content creation, and enable immersive interior visualization—capabilities that would have seemed like science fiction just a decade ago. "We're not just digitizing real estate," Darbuashvili often remarks. "We're reimagining it for a world where data and design work hand in hand."

Smarter Property Decisions Start with Smarter Data

Traditionally, property searches and valuations have been slow, subjective, and often frustrating. Buyers and renters sift through endless listings, rarely seeing a space's full potential. Sellers and agents rely on experience and gut feeling, sometimes missing the mark on pricing or presentation.

AI is changing all that. ModernDesign's platform leverages machine learning to analyze vast datasets—historical prices, neighborhood trends, demographic shifts, even local crime rates—to deliver unbiased, real-time property valuations. This not only reduces the risk of over- or under-pricing but also helps buyers avoid costly mistakes and sellers maximize returns.

Predictive analytics, another pillar of ModernDesign's technology, empowers investors and homeowners alike to make smarter decisions. By forecasting price trends and identifying emerging investment opportunities, AI turns real estate from a guessing game into a science. "It's about giving people the tools to see around corners," Darbuashvili says, "so they can make decisions confidently, not just hope."

The New Art of Seeing: AI in Interior Visualization

Perhaps nowhere is the impact of AI more visible—literally—than in interior design. The global market for AI in interior design is booming, expected to grow from $1.09 billion in 2024 to $1.39 billion in 2025, with further acceleration as smart homes and generative design tools become mainstream. This growth is fueled by the desire for personalized, interactive, and sustainable spaces, as well as the integration of AR/VR technologies that let users "walk through" a space before a single nail is hammered.

ModernDesign's AI-powered visualization tools allow users to transform empty rooms into fully furnished, photorealistic environments with a few clicks. Want to see how a minimalist Scandinavian living room would look in a downtown loft? Or how natural light would play across a mid-century modern bedroom at sunset? ModernDesign makes it possible, blending generative AI with user-friendly interfaces to democratize design.

"We're seeing a convergence of technology and taste," observes Darbuashvili. "AI isn't replacing creativity—it's amplifying it, making it accessible to everyone, not just those who can afford a high-end designer."

Global Impact, Local Roots

Darbuashvili's journey from Tbilisi to the forefront of AI-driven real estate is as much a story of personal grit as it is of technological innovation. Starting to code at age 10 and working professionally by 16, he quickly built a reputation for technical excellence, eventually joining the elite ranks of Toptal's top 3 percent of global freelance talent. His work for Y Combinator-backed startups in the U.S., including ReSquared and ClaimSorted, laid the foundation for platforms now used by some of the world's largest real estate firms.

But it's with ModernDesign that Darbuashvili has truly left his mark. By assembling a diverse, globally distributed team and focusing on scalable, AI-first solutions, he has positioned the company at the intersection of data science, design, and user experience. "The best ideas aren't born in isolation," he reflects. "They come from listening to users, learning from every market, and building technology that adapts to real human needs."

AI Gains Ground in Real Estate but Raises New Questions

Industry analysts agree that AI's impact on real estate is only beginning. We're witnessing a fundamental reordering of how value is created and captured in real estate. Integrating AI with IoT devices—expected to surpass 14 billion active connections globally in 2025—enables everything from predictive maintenance to personalized tenant experiences. Meanwhile, the rise of AI-enabled design platforms raises consumer expectations for customization, speed, and sustainability.

Yet, as with any technological revolution, challenges remain. Genuine concerns about data privacy, algorithmic bias, and the risk of "dehumanizing" the home-buying process exist. Darbuashvili quickly acknowledges these issues: "Technology should empower, not overwhelm. We are responsible for building transparent, fair systems that ultimately serve people's best interests."

Homes of the Future Deserve Soul

Looking forward, the trajectory is clear. The real estate industry is on the brink of further disruption as AI becomes more sophisticated, affordable, and integrated into everyday life. By 2029, the AI market in interior design alone is expected to reach $3.59 billion, driven by advances in generative design, AR/VR, and sustainable, data-centric solutions. The convergence of AI with smart home technologies promises not just smarter buildings but smarter, more responsive communities.

For Darbuashvili and ModernDesign, the mission is both ambitious and grounded: to make property discovery and interior visualization not just smarter, but more meaningful. "At the end of the day, a home isn't just a set of walls and windows," he says. "It's a place where people live their lives. Our job is to make finding and shaping that place as inspiring—and as human—as possible."

As AI redraws the boundaries of what's possible in real estate, it's tempting to see technology as the answer to every problem. But Darbuashvili's work reminds us that the real breakthroughs happen when technology and humanity move forward together. The homes of tomorrow will be smarter, yes—but only if we remember to build them with empathy, imagination, and a deep respect for the people who will call them home.