ITU and UN-Habitat release guidance for smart cities

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) have released a toolbox on people-centred smart cities in the AI era.

The United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) Toolbox for People-Centred Smart Cities in the AI Era provides practical guidance for mayors, city managers, and policymakers on assessing how AI can be used in urban services, what safeguards are required, and when deploying AI may not be appropriate.

The toolbox sets out four principles for the use of AI in cities.

The guidance draws on real-world smart city examples, including Helsinki and eThekwini, to illustrate how these principles can inform local decision-making.

Decisions about AI adoption in cities involve more than assessing a technology’s potential efficiency.