How Will Artificial Intelligence Be at the Service of All City Dwellers?

Today, 58% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, irrespective of continent or city type. These demographic changes are occurring most rapidly in Asia and Africa. The most serious challenges, such as migration, economic and social integration, urban planning, technical networks, housing, schools and hospitals, must therefore be addressed in their cities so that urbanization can create opportunities and offer poor individuals and family’s better prospects, rather than creating additional burdens. Of the world’s 4.75 billion urban inhabitants, 827 million¹ are living in conditions that constitute poverty. We must engage with these people to understand how AI can help them escape urban marginalization. Smart city is a complex model, but one that aims to make urban life easier for everyone, by taking advantage of technological advances. It is important to acknowledge that the concept and its applications are vary from one country to another. However, the problem and its application in urban reality are significant. Can AI be used to solve it and how this can be translated into applicable solutions? After all, that is the real question. Although based on indisputable scientific knowledge, it raises a multitude of technological, scientific, social and economic questions. Therefore, my central question concerns the development of artificial intelligence within the framework of smart cities, how it is understood by city dwellers, and how it can be adapted to the needs and desires of the disadvantaged. Poverty exists everywhere. My extensive research in Latin America, West Africa and Southeast Asia demonstrates that technological and conceptual innovations have a moral obligation to serve everyone, especially the urban poor, who deserve recognition as both workers and citizens in order to fully participate in urban communities. To address this issue, I suggest taking an original approach that starts by examining the socio-economic needs of marginalized urban residents, and how these needs are addressed by public and private decision-makers. We will then analyze how new technologies are exploited, focusing on how these innovative urban projects integrate all segments of society without marginalizing the poor. Artificial intelligence, like all high-tech knowledge, is capable of solving complex technical, social, environmental and economic problems and must benefit all members of urban societies in the Global South and beyond. Examples drawn from my extensive research in the Global South will