AI CityXchange Overview

The platform brings together SmartCitiesWorld’s AI-related journalism, research, reports, and industry insight into a single, structured destination designed specifically for city leaders, practitioners, and partners navigating AI adoption. Its purpose is practical and city-first – supporting informed decision-making, sharing real-world experience, and helping cities move from ambition to implementation.

The initiative is part of SmartCitiesWorld’s wider Technology Innovation for Community-Centric Cities campaign, which places people, inclusion, and real-world outcomes at the heart of urban innovation. AI CityXchange builds on this foundation by focusing specifically on how artificial intelligence can support improved services, stronger governance, and more resilient, community centric cities.

At the core of AI CityXchange is the recognition that cities are at very different stages in their AI journeys. Some are still establishing the fundamentals – governance frameworks, data readiness, skills, and trust – while others are focused on scaling proven use cases across departments and citywide systems. To reflect this, content is organised into two primary pillars:

AI Foundations & Fundamentals

Here, we’re focused on the building blocks cities need to deploy AI responsibly and effectively. This includes topics such as data strategy, interoperability, ethics and governance, procurement, organisational readiness, workforce skills, and public trust. Content in this pillar is designed to help cities understand what good looks like at the outset and how to create the conditions for sustainable AI use.

Scaling AI

Our second pillar centres on moving beyond pilots and proofs of concept. It explores how cities operationalise AI at scale, integrate it into core processes, measure impact, manage risk, and secure long-term value. This pillar highlights lessons learned from cities that are embedding AI across services and adapting organisational models to support continuous innovation.

Beyond these two pillars, AI CityXchange structures its content around the core functions of a city, recognising that AI adoption is ultimately about outcomes for people, places, and public services. Coverage spans people & community; built environment & infrastructure; transport; environment & nature; economy & culture; and governance, corporate services, and stakeholder partners. Within each function, content drills down into specific services and challenges – from public safety and social services, to buildings and energy systems, traffic management and mobility, climate action and environmental monitoring, skills development and economic growth, and governance models, partnerships, and procurement approaches.