The event will bring together representatives from cities, governments, businesses, academia and international organizations. Discussions will move beyond individual pilots to examine what cities need to deploy AI responsibly and at scale: interoperable systems, international standards and strong collaboration across sectors. The programme will explore generative AI, agentic AI, physical AI, spatial intelligence and digital twins; guiding principles for people-centred smart cities; interoperability, standards and trust; and practical lessons for taking AI and citiverse solutions from pilot projects to citywide impact. The forum hosted by Tampere also reflects the city’s long-term commitment to international citiverse development. The City of Tampere has been an active contributor to the Discovering the Citiverse – Global Initiative on AI, Digital Twins and Virtual Worlds, launched by ITU, the United Nations International Computing Centre (UNICC) and Digital Dubai. Jaakko Mustakallio, Deputy Mayor of the City of Tampere, serves as a Vice-Chair of the Initiative’s Executive Committee. Tampere joins global efforts to shape digital solutions for the cities of the future The AI-enabled citiverse connects physical and digital urban environments through technologies such as AI, spatial intelligence, digital twins and immersive virtual worlds . In this environment, data, artificial intelligence, digital twins, and augmented and virtual reality, for example, support urban development and residents’ everyday lives. – Tampere has gained international recognition as a frontrunner in citiverse development through its own pilots and innovations, European research and development projects, and the strong expertise of the region’s higher education institutions. The city cooperates with both European and global actors with the aim of building a responsible, inclusive and sustainable digital city, says Mustakallio. The forum will also be followed by the first meeting of the new international ITU-T Focus Group on AI for Smart Sustainable Cities and Communities (FG-AI4SSC), taking place on 10–11 September 2026. Open to