AI and Cities Risks, Applications and Governance

Artificial intelligence has already started to have an impact on urban settings at an unprecedented pace, with sophisticated solutions being deployed in the streets, at airports, and in other city installations. In fact, cities are becoming experimental sites for new forms of artificial intelligence and automation technologies that are applied across a wide variety of sectors and places.

These developments, and emerging practices, such as predictive policing, are dramatically changing cities and our societies at a time when the world is experiencing rapid urbanisation and a range of changes and challenges: climate change, the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, access to basic urban services, infrastructure, housing, livelihoods, health, and education. At the same time, AI and AI-enabled solutions are opening up new opportunities for cities while also being deemed to pose significant risks and challenges, such as potential bias and discrimination, privacy violations, and other human rights violations, including surveillance schemes.