The Impact of Effective Public Administration and European Digital Connectivity on Building Smart Cities: An Analysis of Legal Frameworks, Policy Initiatives and Transformative Impact in the Emerging Era of Artificial Intelligence

The aim of this review scientific study is to analyse existing scientific literature examining the development of smart cities in the context of effective public administration and digital connectivity in the European Union, with a particular focus on the impact and regulation of artificial intelligence as a key factor in the sustainable transformation of cities. This scientific study also includes an analysis of the scientific treatment of major European initiatives, such as the concept of effective public administration, WiFi4EU, free mobile roaming, Industry 4.0, automated and autonomous vehicles, which together form the framework for digital infrastructure and connectivity in the European Union. Using a combination of analytical, synthetic, comparative and deductive methods, the research examines the interrelationships between these initiatives, their common goals in promoting technological interoperability, social inclusion and environmental sustainability, as well as the challenges they face in terms of governance, ethics and data protection. We primarily analyse freely available scientific literature included in the Web of Science and Scopus databases from 2018 to the present, as well as European Union legislation and European court decisions related to the topic under investigation. The result of our research is a comprehensive overview of scientific literature on the current state of legal regulation of selected components of smart cities, as well as the identification of gaps and opportunities in the management of AI-based smart city systems. Our recommendations also include a proposal for conceptual directions for the development of sustainable, legally compatible and ethically managed digital ecosystems in the European Union.