How cities can adopt AI without sacrificing public trust By Motorola Motorola Solutions APAC’s Vice President of Sales for Video Security and Access Control, Jason Tan, highlights the importance of investing equally in the governance, transparency, and accountability frameworks that give AI-enabled security tools their legitimacy. One of the significant shifts that modern AI security enables is from reactive incident response to proactive threat management. Image: Canva What does it mean to keep a city safe without making it feel watched? For city governments in Asia deploying artificial intelligence (AI)-powered video security systems, the question sits at the heart of policy decisions. Rising urban density, surging tourism numbers, and growing demand to do more with less have pushed AI-enabled video security to the top of the smart city agenda. Yet, adoption remains uneven. But this is not because the technology isn't ready, but because public trust in how it is used often isn't. Motorola Solutions APAC’s Vice President of Sales for Video Security and Access Control, Jason Tan, sees this tension play out in the region. "Cities must strike a careful balance between implementing visible security measures and fostering a welcoming environment that doesn't deter residents with excessive restrictions nor discourage tourists,” he says. That balance is exactly what governments are struggling to find. The security overreach problem When cameras proliferate without clear governance, residents reasonably ask: who is watching, what are they looking for, and where does the data go? At the same time, governments in high-density cities and tourism-driven economies tackle the consequences of mismanaged security. On one hand, too little security erodes public confidence and drives visitors away. On the other hand, too much security invites political and regulatory backlash. The answer, Tan notes, is not less technology, but more deliberate governance. “Cities that are transparent about