Artificial Intelligence (AI) is widely considered as a driving mechanism of smart city development in India. The Smart Cities Mission has become a torch bearer for tier-2 cities with many introducing digital infrastructure initiatives such as surveillance systems, data dashboards, Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs), and so on. Although many of the smart digital infrastructure solutions are often described as AI-enabled, the adoption of advanced AI systems in urban designing and public space planning remains constrained. In most cases, the adoption of AI is primarily limited to planning, pilot projects, or basic data management stages. Through this paper we intend to examine the current and proposed role of AI in smart cities, especially tier-2 smart cities across the country. It explores if the current AI initiatives finds applications in improving public spaces or is limited to support the administrative layer aimed at improving efficiency. This paper prioritizes identifying the gaps between technology ambition and spatial transformation, arguing for a systematic human-centered approach to integrate AI in public space development and urban design.
Ar. Dhanshri Arun Uppalwar (Sun,) studied this question.