By Soledad Guilera, URBAN AI Advisor and Contributor
As cities increasingly become focal points of technological innovation, the question arises: where should urban centers begin developing and implementing AI strategies? This article provides a roadmap for cities to navigate the complex landscape of Artificial Intelligence (AI), highlighting their roles as users, developers, procurers, promoters, and regulators of this transformative technology.
Understanding the multifaceted role of cities in AI.
Comprehending the diverse functions of cities in AI is crucial as it ensures that all potential impacts — social, economic, political, and ethical — are thoroughly considered. By analyzing the various roles cities can play, from developers and users to regulators of AI, urban leaders can identify the most effective ways to integrate frontier technologies in alignment with their unique urban challenges and priorities.
Cities as users and developers can harness AI to improve public service efficiency and responsiveness. The City of Vicente López in Argentina is advancing service efficiency and responsiveness by integrating AI and deep learning technologies across its Traffic, Transport, and Road Safety Departments. These technologies include sensors that monitor various traffic violations, such as speeding, cellphone use, and seatbelt compliance, equipped with advanced cameras that provide clear, high-definition images to enforce traffic laws more effectively. The city has also implemented intelligent traffic lights that adapt to real-time traffic conditions to improve flow and maintain a road safety observatory that uses data to develop targeted safety measures.
Moreover, the Rio Operations Center (COR) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has significantly advanced urban management since its inception in 2010, establishing itself as a pioneering and reference point in Latin America. The COR, which employs 500 professionals working 24/7 and manages a network of 2,500 cameras, plays a crucial role in monitoring and coordinating public actions to minimize the impact of incidents. This high-tech system handles approximately 1,200 occurrences and maps around 80 major events each month, highlighting its pivotal role in proactive incident management. With 1.3 million followers on social media, the COR effectively utilizes inputs from both public and private sectors, as well as data from strategically placed cameras and sensors, to provide timely responses and alerts. This proactive and dynamic approach has transformed how Rio de Janeiro handles urban crises, enabling preemptive solutions and swift communication of risks and necessary actions during emergencies — a significant improvement from the pre-COR era when the city was often unprepared for events such as heavy rains.
From integrating AI into traffic and security management systems in Vicente Lopez to the use of AI-driven sensors for crisis and natural disaster management in Rio de Janeiro, cities are actively leveraging AI to enhance the quality of urban living.
In addition, the Ethical Impact Assessment tool from UNESCO, considers the entire process of designing, developing, and deploying an AI system allowing for assessment of the risks before and after the system is released to the public. By adopting this tool, cities can ensure that their AI systems are fair, transparent, accountable, and respect privacy.
Cities have substantial buying power that can shape the AI market. By adopting procurement policies that prioritize ethical and transparent AI solutions, cities not only promote high industry standards but also encourage vendors to align with these values. When the City of San Jose in California, aims to acquire an AI system to enhance its service delivery, the Data Privacy Officer (DPO) collaborates with the relevant department and vendors to ensure the AI system is both effective and reliable. To increase transparency, the DPO is trialing a new approach where vendors are required to complete a Vendor AI FactSheet that helps the city understand the AI system’s technical aspects, allowing for a more informed evaluation of its risks and benefits. Cities have the opportunity to turn the typical task of procurement into a strategic tool that enhances transparency and accountability among AI vendors.
Educating and engaging the public is crucial. Cities can undertake initiatives to increase AI awareness, such as digital literacy campaigns and public forums, which help demystify AI technologies and promote informed discussions among citizens. The City of Tampere in Finland is actively engaged in smart city development work in collaboration with its business partners. The city is exploring how artificial intelligence can process data sets and extract relevant information to benefit skill development, educational pathways, and employment services.
Cities can enhance transparency and responsibility through the use of algorithmic applications by providing clear information on the algorithmic tools they employ and their purposes. The Algorithmic Transparency Standard, developed by Eurocities’ Digital Forum Lab, offers shared information categories that help people understand the function and intent of algorithms used in local governments. This standard, inspired by the practices of Amsterdam and Helsinki and the Dutch standard for algorithmic transparency, comprises a validated, open-source data schema for local algorithm registries that is publicly accessible. Amsterdam, Brussels, and Barcelona are already integrating this standard into their practices.
The most critical role of a city in the AI domain is that of a regulator. Ensuring that AI deployments comply with ethical standards and protect citizen rights is paramount. Cities like Barcelona have set precedents with comprehensive ethical AI usage frameworks that could serve as a model for others. Barcelona developed a protocol to guide the implementation of algorithmic systems at the municipal level. It is based on the risk classification by the European Commission and establishes various guarantee mechanisms depending on the system’s risk level. Algorithmic systems with unacceptable risks — those posing a clear threat to security and people’s rights — will be automatically rejected. For other systems, oversight mechanisms will be set based on their risk level.
As cities continue to explore and embrace AI, it becomes evident that their roles as users, developers, procurers, promoters, and regulators are interconnected and vital for creating a balanced urban AI strategy. By leveraging these roles, cities can create a harmonious ecosystem where technology serves the public good while adhering to ethical standards.
Starting points for developing Urban AI Strategies
When contemplating the integration of AI into city management, where should mayors begin?
- The first step is to establish clear goals and objectives for deploying AI. This strategic direction helps cities allocate resources and policies effectively, ensuring that AI initiatives significantly enhance public service delivery, traffic management, and environmental monitoring. Cities need to identify their top economic and social development priorities and explore AI solutions that support these aims.
- Secondly, cities should adopt a framework for Trustworthy AI. Utilizing principles set forth by UNESCO and the OECD, cities can develop a framework that guarantees AI systems are fair, transparent, accountable, and privacy-respecting. Given that UNESCO’s framework has been endorsed by over 190 countries, it reflects a broad global consensus on responsible AI practices.
- Third, ensuring trust and safety in AI usage is crucial. Cities must engage in rigorous testing and validation of AI technologies to prevent biases and errors, while also promoting digital literacy and civic engagement to foster an informed and participatory public.
- Fourth, building capacity is key. Investing in AI education and training for city employees and the public equips stakeholders to make informed decisions and engage meaningfully in policy discussions.
- Fifth, given that AI is a rapidly evolving field, cities must stay abreast of emerging technologies and be agile in adapting their strategies based on ongoing assessments and developments.
- Lastly, embracing collaborative governance is vital. Cities should avoid isolation by sharing experiences and developing common standards with other cities, which can lead to more effective and ethically sound AI implementations.
- Last but not least, we are all learning as we go with AI. Cities should engage in collaborative governance and avoid operating in silos. Collaborating with other cities, sharing experiences, and developing common standards can lead to more robust and effective AI solutions and responsible scaling.
For cities looking to embark on their AI journey, understanding the diverse roles they can play and the benefits they can achieve is just the beginning. By setting clear objectives, adopting principled frameworks, and engaging the community, cities can harness AI to not only enhance services but also ensure the ethical use of technology. Through cooperation and continuous learning, urban centers can co-create accountable AI applications, setting a a global standard for AI in public governance and becoming smarter, more responsive entities.
