How Smart Cities Are Bridging Sci-fi And Reality
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Contrary to the elaborate and often exaggerated depictions of "smart" cities in movies, real-life smart cities, like Singapore, Zurich, and Oslo, focus on leveraging digital solutions and emergent tech like AI to enhance efficiency and benefit citizens.
OpenAI's ChatGPT, which garnered 100 million users within two months of its launch, has brought a significant transformation in the landscape of Artificial Intelligence, a concept that had largely dominated the realm of science fiction before that. With this more practical and realistic approach, the concept is finding traction in building smart cities.
The European Commission defines a smart city as a place where traditional networks and services are optimized using digital solutions for the benefit of its residents and businesses. This gradual development aims to enhance the quality of life in areas such as healthcare, safety, and education, emphasizing that a smart city is fundamentally designed for the well-being of its human inhabitants.
Dinis Guarda, Founder and CEO of ztudium, makers of 4IR, AR, VR, Metaverse, and Web 3.0 technologies, says:
“Smart cities solutions can improve the full efficiency of cities, reduce running costs, improve livability and cut resource consumption and improve sustainability and 360 supply chain, energy and service delivery. However legacy systems and retrofitting existing neighbooods urban infrastructures —as opposed to building new smart cities from the ground up—is and has been the major challenge. Smart cities require strong ethics around policies, digital inclusion, data – IoT, blockchain and AI thoughtful integrations.”
Smart cities utilize information and communication technologies to fuel economic growth, improve quality of life, and support urban development. The ongoing process of becoming a smart city is a continuous journey, recognizing that technology evolves daily.
AI's role in building smart cities
While the definition of a smart city does not explicitly tie it to Artificial Intelligence, AI emerges as a powerful enabler in the success of smart city initiatives. AI applications in smart cities can learn from citizens' interactions, refining algorithms with the increasing data pool. AI's potential spans diverse areas, from studying citizens' habits to enhancing urban planning and management.
The real-time analysis capability of AI addresses challenges that humans, bound by time constraints, find difficult to manage.
Several areas benefit from AI integration in smart cities, ranging from traffic management to environmental monitoring, maintenance, security, and agriculture.
Traffic Management: Projects like CIRCLES utilize Deep Learning algorithms to predict traffic congestion, reduce energy consumption, and enhance overall traffic flow. Real-time detection of road crimes using AI contributes to faster response and management.
The city of Copenhagen has implemented an innovative AI-based traffic control system that adapts in real-time to changing traffic conditions. By analyzing data from sensors, cameras, and other sources, the AI algorithms optimize traffic signal timings, reducing congestion and minimizing environmental impact.
The city also employs machine learning to predict traffic patterns, allowing for proactive adjustments to mitigate potential bottlenecks. This approach not only enhances the overall traffic flow but also aligns with the city's commitment to environmental sustainability.
Environmental Monitoring: AI, in conjunction with IoT sensors, predicts and mitigates environmental issues, such as air quality problems. As part of its commitment to becoming a smarter and more sustainable city, Barcelona has implemented an extensive network of sensors across the urban landscape.
These sensors measure various environmental factors, such as air quality, noise levels, and temperature, in real-time. The collected data is then processed through AI algorithms, providing city officials with valuable insights into pollution patterns, identifying potential environmental risks, and enabling prompt decision-making.
Maintenance: AI-driven solutions, using Computer Vision, assess road conditions through cameras, allocating repair resources efficiently. This approach is already adopted in cities like Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
Security: AI-powered security cameras equipped with Computer Vision identify patterns of criminal behavior, providing real-time analysis. Japan has implemented AI-powered security cameras capable of estimating suspicious individuals' poses to prevent crimes like shoplifting.
Agriculture: Smart farming utilizes AI algorithms to analyze vast amounts of environmental data collected by drones, enabling informed decisions on irrigation and fertilization.
By harnessing the power of AI algorithms, farmers can efficiently analyze extensive sets of environmental data gathered through advanced technologies such as drones. This data includes crucial information about soil conditions, weather patterns, and crop health.
South Korea, for instance, uses drones for monitoring soil conditions. AI algorithms process the collected data in real-time, providing farmers with valuable insights. These insights empower farmers to make informed decisions on irrigation schedules, optimal fertilization practices, and overall crop management.
Some smart cities across the world
Several smart cities around the globe serve as benchmarks for successful implementation of AI-driven solutions.
Several smart cities around the globe serve as benchmarks for successful implementation of AI-driven solutions.
Zurich, Switzerland stands out as one of the most sustainable cities globally, incorporating smart traffic management, waste management, and energy systems. Smart traffic lights adjust timing based on real-time traffic data, reducing congestion.
Oslo, Norway embraces smart initiatives, including electric buses, zero-emission construction sites, and energy-efficient building control through IoT devices.
Singapore launched in 2014, Singapore's Smart Nation Initiatives span various sectors, from autonomous vehicles and smart traffic management to digital banking services and telemedicine. Telehealth applications, like TeleRehab, exemplify the city's commitment to leveraging AI for enhanced healthcare services.
Challenges and Considerations
While smart cities offer significant benefits, challenges must be addressed for sustainable development.
Infrastructure: Establishing the necessary infrastructure, powered by renewable energy or other sources, poses challenges due to associated costs and technological maturity.
Security and Hackers: The surge in data generated by IoT sensors raises security concerns, necessitating substantial investments in cybersecurity measures.
Privacy: Striking a balance between surveillance for public safety and citizens' privacy is crucial. Compliance with regulations, such as GDPR, is essential to foster public trust.
Educating & Engaging the Community: The success of smart cities relies on educating citizens about the benefits of technology and ensuring their active participation.
Inclusion: Smart solutions must cater to diverse demographics, ensuring that all citizens benefit from technological advancements.
A Realistic Future
Smart cities are not just futuristic fantasies but tangible realities, already enhancing the lives of many. The fusion of AI and IoT is unlocking new possibilities, from optimizing traffic flow to predicting environmental issues and enhancing security. While challenges persist, the trajectory is clear—AI will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of smart cities.
“Artificial Intelligence is now playing a pivotal role in the development of our next stage of humanity as digital transformation plays its role in everything we do in society and in the bridge between physical and digital twins. This is the functioning augmented spatial computing world where we will evolve as Humans in an AI Xperience Metaverse. As these set of technologies and tools evolve our human capacities will enable various capabilities that enhance our humans user experience, automates all our processes, and creates intelligent virtual physical environments. It creates also a new history where humans and its advanced new evolutionary machines will pay a new co-existence role”, says Dinis Guarda.
As technology evolves, the commitment to overcoming challenges and ensuring inclusive, sustainable development will be essential for cities aspiring to be truly "smart." The question remains: Are we ready to be part of this transformative journey?
Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.
