SET-listed developer Sansiri Plc plans to spend 600 million baht to leverage new technologies -- artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain -- for operations this year with its partners.

The move is to serve its goal of becoming an AI-first organisation by 2020.

The company will launch a show unit for a smart home, capable of learning from the behaviour of its inhabitants, and a virtual sales gallery that simulates several residential projects by the third quarter this year.

Tawicha Trakulyingyong, chief technology officer of Sansiri, said the company began a business strategy in 2017 to be a data-driven company through big data analytics and IoT for residential projects.

Recently Sansiri entered a partnership with Amazon Web Service (AWS), Digital Ventures and Microsoft to bolster its digital operations and service platform as well as test blockchain technology for real estate. Sansiri adopted blockchain to make its payment gateway more efficient.

"This year we expect extensive technological enhancement under our Tech Forward scheme through three key strategies," Mr Tawicha said.

AI could improve Sansiri's services by providing location and product recommendations, personalised assistants, face and video analytics and chatbots. AI is also being used for a construction management system to help explore and assess the potential of a plot before purchase.

Sansiri is conducting a feasibility study with AWS and is jointly developing a smart home to showcase future living standards.

The company is also bolstering security at its properties by connecting them with a Smart Command Centre providing 24-hour security to residents in all 29 low-rise and condominium projects being developed in 2019.

To increase working process efficiency, Sansiri has implemented property technology for the entire value chain. This includes innovative tech adoption, personalisation, hybrid agents that merge online and offline processes, and an instant homebuyer model that would shorten buyers' decision time.