WASP-HS has published a new report on AI, smart cities, and sustainability. The report is a summary based on the discussions and conclusions brought up during the Community Reference Meeting (CRM) which took place on 17 March. At the meeting representatives from academia and industry participated.
“Artificial intelligence is a significant component of smart city implementations. The responsible use of AI in this context requires a multi-disciplinary reflection on the bottlenecks and policy levers in data and digital infrastructure, the role of research and innovation funding, and a participatory and inclusive deployment of smart city solutions” says Virginia Dignum, WASP-HS Program Director.
WASP-HS CRMs aim to help public and private organizations in Sweden with challenges and questions regarding their interests, as well as developments within WASP-HS. Participants at the meeting included researchers from most Swedish universities, industry, and national and regional governments, as well as general public and international organizations.
Research Road Map
Upon the discussions and conclusions, in the report, a research road map highlights alignment with the following.
- Integration of digital and physical infrastructures, taking into account political and social processes that underlie activities in (smart) cities.
- Address the need for participatory approaches, and the importance of providing automated, timely, and actionable decision support while also providing enough transparency to keep the ‘human in the loop’.
- Multidisciplinary research on transitions and policy, that support the needs, desires and capabilities of individuals, with special attention to diversity and integration; providing instruments that allow citizens and other stakeholders to engage in AI system design process.
- Metrics and models that address the cost of AI, balancing diverse, possibly conflicting values, such as accuracy and computational cost.
- A sound legal and ethical scaffolding framework to ensure trust and deal with issues of liability, responsibility and trust.
