AI and Robotics in Smart City Governance

Abstract

Smart city management is being transformed through the incorporation of ML and robotics, which increase efficiency and sustainability as well as strengthen public services. Transformation is accompanied by vast ethical, legal, and policy challenges. ML-based applications for making decisions and autonomous robotic systems raise issues related to data privacy, security, and algorithmic bias that require a structured regulatory framework. The ethical dilemma comes from the balance between automation and human involvement, transparency, and disruption of socioeconomic inequalities. AI systems will allow a level of complexity and responsiveness that has not been possible until now and, indeed, will be a part of the smart urban infrastructure of the future. This chapter analyzes the multifaceted implications of ML and robotics on urban governance with clear policy recommendations to realize equitable, secure, and sustainable smart cities.