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AI CityXchange Workshop: London, UK - 24 June 2026
London AI CityXchange Workshop
AI CityXchange is SmartCitiesWorld’s dedicated platform for AI in cities, combining our content with a programme of city-led events and workshops. Our workshops bring together local government leaders, practitioners and industry experts, creating a collaborative environment to explore real urban challenges, share proven approaches and build capability through hands-on learning.
The London edition of AI CityXchange will spotlight the city’s journey in applying AI within local government. Participants will gain insight into London’s approach to responsible innovation, including the frameworks, partnerships, and operational practices that have enabled progress.
A core feature of the workshop is its hothousing approach – bringing attendees together to surface ideas, overcome shared challenges, and co-develop practical solutions. Drawing on the experiences of neighbouring authorities and peer cities, the event accelerates problem-solving around issues that matter most to local communities.
As a closed-room event, authorities can be open about what’s working, what’s not, and where further support is needed, encouraging the sharing of best practice and solutions to pressing challenges.
Schedule: Wednesday 24 June 2026
| 09.00: | Arrival, coffee & networking |
| 09:25: | Welcome & introduction |
| 09:30: | Panel discussion: From AI hype to operational reality |
10.00: | Concurrent roundtable discussions:
|
11.00: | Report back from roundtables |
| 11:20: | Closing remarks & next steps |
Venue:
Panel session: Delivering AI in cities: from experimentation to embedded operations
Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving up the urban agenda, but many cities are still grappling with how to move beyond pilots and proofs of concept to achieve meaningful, scalable impact.
This opening panel will bring together city leaders, service owners, and industry experts to explore how AI is being implemented in practice across urban environments. Rather than focusing on future potential, the discussion will centre on real-world deployments, examining where AI is already delivering operational value and where challenges remain.
Panellists will share first-hand experiences of integrating AI into city systems and services, addressing key questions such as:
How can AI be embedded into day-to-day city workflows rather than sitting in isolation?
What organisational, technical, and cultural barriers must be overcome to scale AI effectively?
How can cities ensure AI delivers not only efficiency gains, but also positive outcomes for communities?
The session will also explore the importance of trust, transparency, and governance, and what cities must do to maintain public confidence as AI adoption accelerates.
This discussion will set the scene for the interactive roundtables, identifying the key challenges and priorities that cities and partners must address to successfully scale AI.
Roundtable discussions
Following the panel, participants will join one of three interactive roundtable discussions. Each session is designed to be highly practical and collaborative, enabling attendees to share experiences, explore challenges, and co-develop actionable insights.
Roundtable 1: AI Foundations - building the right conditions for success
Successful AI deployment starts with strong foundations. This roundtable will explore what cities need to have in place before AI can be effectively implemented and scaled.
Discussions will focus on:
- Data readiness, governance, and interoperability
- Skills, organisational structures, and leadership buy-in
- Procurement approaches and partner ecosystems
- Identifying and prioritising high-value use cases
Participants will examine common barriers and share lessons learned from early-stage AI initiatives, helping to define what “AI readiness” looks like in practice.
Roundtable 2: Scaling AI - from pilot projects to citywide impact
While many cities have experimented with AI, far fewer have succeeded in scaling solutions across departments and services. This roundtable will focus on how to bridge that gap.
Key areas of discussion include:
- Transitioning from pilots to production environments
- Integrating AI into legacy systems and operational workflows
- Developing sustainable funding models and business cases
- Enabling cross-department collaboration and ownership
Participants will explore what distinguishes successful scaling efforts from stalled initiatives, sharing practical strategies to expand AI adoption across city operations.
Roundtable 3: AI, communities and trust - delivering responsible outcomes
As AI becomes more embedded in city services, ensuring it delivers tangible benefits for residents – and maintains public trust – is critical.
This roundtable will examine how cities can take a responsible, citizen-focused approach to AI, with discussions covering:
- Defining and measuring community outcomes and public value
- Engaging citizens and stakeholders in AI initiatives
- Ensuring transparency, accountability, and explainability
- Addressing ethical considerations, including bias and fairness
Participants will share perspectives on how to balance innovation with responsibility, and how to build trust as AI adoption grows.
Scene Setter
Name: Paul Wilson
Title: Chair, Advisory Board
Organisation: SmartCitiesWorld
Biography:
Paul is chair of the Advisory Board for SmartCitiesWorld. Read by 1.5m people worldwide, SmartCitiesWorld provides daily news coverage and weekly features about the fast-changing world of urban innovation. Paul is also Senior Advisor at Open Agile Smart Cities with 170 city members and an honorary Research Fellow at the University of Bristol’s Smart Internet Lab. Until recently Paul was Chief Business Officer, Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport, and place leadership.
Scene Setter
Name: TBC
Title: TBC
Organisation: TBC
Biography:
Moderator
Name: Luke Antoniou
Title: Senior Editor
Organisation: SmartCitiesWorld
Biography:
Luke has been reporting on the implementation of smart technologies that benefit citizens and the public sector since 2017.
He has a particularly keen interest in smart and sustainable mobility and its role in influencing the decisions of urban planners, citizens and governments alike.
As rapid urbanisation continues, he keeps his finger on the pulse of the myriad urban challenges facing local and central governments, making new connections in the public and private sectors and finding new angles from which to cover the latest smart city developments around the world.
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