Can cities effectively harness AI to serve the public good in this age of intelligence?
As artificial intelligence reshapes industries and everyday life, the role of cities as hubs for people, jobs and research places them at the center of this transformation. Local governments are called to make decisions that could determine how infrastructure, services and equity evolve in a world increasingly influenced by algorithms.
While debates around biased outcomes, privacy and regulation continue, AI also opens up new opportunities to help cities respond to growing urban challenges more effectively and efficiently. In the fifth Cities on the Frontline session of 2025, we unpacked what’s needed to deploy these technologies responsibly, inclusively and with impact.
- Somesh Sharma, from the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies at Erasmus University Rotterdam, gave an overview of the opportunities and governance challenges of AI in cities.
- Damiano Cerrone, Co-Founder of UrbanistAI, showed how participatory AI is enabling communities to co-create public spaces and drive more inclusive planning.
- Prof. Dr. Mark Oelmann, from Ruhr West State University of Applied Sciences, demonstrated how AI is being used to improve municipal water forecasting, with lessons for wider urban services.
Somesh Sharma
Governance of Artificial Intelligence, IHS, Erasmus University Rotterdam
“I do believe we may need a new ethical structure for our hybrid societies tomorrow, because we might not only work, we might walk hand to hand with artificial machines.”
Damiano Cerrone
Co-Founder, UrbanistAI – SPIN Unit
“The Gen. AI simulates how a place would look in a climate disaster scenario, so that you really understand what the impact is. But also so you understand what a climate risk mitigation scenario would look like. What happens if we implement those difficult to understand policies?”
Prof. Dr. Mark Oelmann
Water and Energy Economics, Ruhr West State University of Applied Sciences
“There are many opportunities to use these approaches in other public services. If we look at transportation systems for example, we have issues of traffic flow predictions and congestion management, we also have needs in predictive maintenance for vehicles and infrastructure.”
Isabel Parra (Host)
Lead, Communications, Resilient Cities Network
