Cited by 290Smart Cities and TechnologiesUrban Planning and GovernanceEthics and Social Impacts of AI

Urban artificial intelligence: from automation to autonomy in the smart city

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Cugurullo, Federico·2020·Frontiers in Sustainable Cities

Abstract

Technological innovation is constantly reshaping the materiality and mechanics of alleged smart cities. Recently, innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) in the shape of self-driving cars, robots and city brains, has been pushing the so-called smart city to morph into an autonomous urban creature which is largely unknown. In this emerging strand of smart urbanism, artificially intelligent entities are taking the management of urban services as well as urban governance out of the hands of humans, operating the city in an autonomous manner. This paper explores, in theory and practice, how the development of AI intersects with the development of the city. The contribution of the paper is threefold. First, the paper advances a theoretical framework to understand AI specifically in urban contexts, developing the concept of urban artificial intelligence. Second, it examines the case of Masdar City, an Emirati urban experiment, to show how the genesis of urban artificial intelligences is part of a long-standing process of technological development and a politico-economic agenda which together are enabling the transition from automation to autonomy. Third, it proposes a research agenda to investigate what the paper terms the autonomous city.

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  1. Bostrom, N. (2017). Superintelligence. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  2. Conrad, J. (2007). Heart of Darkness. London: Penguin Classics.
  3. Hall, P. (2002). Cities of Tomorrow. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.

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Authors
Cugurullo, F.
Affiliations
Trinity College Dublin (IE)
Corresponding author
Cugurullo, Federico
Venue
Frontiers in Sustainable Cities
Published
2020-07-30
Volume
2
ISSN
2624-9634 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3046496872
Cited by
290
References
112
Citations by year
2026: 39 · 2025: 64 · 2024: 55 · 2023: 52 · 2022: 50 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 4
FWCI
16.99
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Frontiers in Sustainable Cities (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Royal Geographical Society (Dudley Stamp Memorial Award)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Media Technology › Smart Cities and Technologies
  • Social Sciences › Urban Studies › Urban Planning and Governance
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
Keywords
smart cities, autonomous cities, autonomous vehicles, City Brain, urban governance, municipal services, Masdar City, smart urbanism

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