Tracking the journey from smart cities to AI cities (part two)

In the second part of this two-part special, SmartCitiesWorld’s Luke Antoniou and Professor Jung Hoon Lee move from frameworks to real-world impact – examining where AI is already changing how cities work, and what that means for citizens and city leaders.

Building on part one’s exploration of the Global Smart City Index and the emerging “AI super gap”, this episode focuses on tangible outcomes. Professor Lee shares case studies from Singapore, where AI, acoustic sensors and digital twins are cutting water losses and inspection times, and LA County, where cross-sector data and predictive models are being used to identify and support people at high risk of homelessness.

The conversation looks at how AI is being embedded in urban services, with a particular focus on mobility – from autonomous shuttles and real-time, multimodal journey planning to AI-optimised intersections in Incheon. Luke and Professor Lee discuss how these examples demonstrate the shift from reactive dashboards to proactive, AI-enabled operations.

They also unpack what it takes to integrate AI with legacy city systems via platforms and “intelligent layers”, why AI-ready data is different from traditional open data, and how questions of data sovereignty, interoperability, and vendor lock-in are reshaping city-platform strategies.

Finally, the episode turns to governance and trust: from Amsterdam’s urban algorithm register to the role of living labs and test beds in turning pilots into scalable programmes. Professor Lee closes with three key priorities for city leaders as they guide the transition from smart city to AI city.