Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the technologies that has evolved the most in recent years and its application has increased exponentially. This remarkable progress has led many scholars, policy makers and urban practitioners to perceive innovative AI-based technologies as a fundamental means of alleviating many urbanisation problems.

It is indisputable that AI-based systems will play a key role in the modernisation of our cities. However, no matter how advanced a computational solution is, it must be accompanied by a sufficiently advanced responsible innovation and governance framework. As we are in the early stages of deploying AI systems in our communities – from neighbourhoods to towns and cities – there is a pressing need to talk about current developments and what is being done; to be able to determine what works and to understand the success factors and, more importantly, what has not worked, the failure factors.

Special issue on Artificial Intelligence and the City

In this regard, the Journal of Urban Technology of Routledge will publish a special issue on “Artificial Intelligence and the City” to consolidate our understanding of AI in the context of cities. Juan Manuel Corchado Rodríguez, president of the AIR Institute and director of the BISITE Research Group with vast experience in research on new technologies, will participate in this special issue as editor. Also participating as editors are Tan Yigitcanlar, Queensland University of Technology, Kevin C. Desouza, Queensland University of Technology, Karen Mossberger, Arizona State University, Rashid Mehmood, King Abdulaziz University, Rita Yi Man Li, Hong Kong Shue Yan University.

The special issue will feature theoretical and empirical research articles along with literature reviews on the following topics, although other relevant issues will also be considered:

  • Adoption, integration and affordability of AI.
  • AI algorithms, applications and platforms
  • AI and the perceptions of the community and users
  • AI and its explainable, ethical, frugal and trustworthy qualities
  • AI and responsible urban innovation
  • AI and urban big data and analytics
  • Benefits, costs, impacts and risks of AI
  • AI best practice
  • AI conceptual and practical frameworks
  • Planning, design and management of AI deployment

We invite you to submit your research. You have the opportunity to submit to the guest editors, by email, abstracts of a length of 300 – 500 words, by 1 December 2022. After an editorial review process, authors with high-standard submissions, who are found suitable, will be invited to submit their manuscript to the special issue via the journal’s submission platform by 1 May 2023, more details here.

Posted by Juan M. Corchado

Juan Manuel Corchado (15 May 1971, Salamanca, Spain) is Professor at the University of Salamanca. He has been Vice-Rector for Research from 2013 to 2017 and Director of the Science Park of the University of Salamanca. Elected as Dean of the Faculty of Science twice, he holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Salamanca and a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from the University of the West of Scotland. He leads the renowned BISITE (Bioinformatics, Intelligent Systems and Educational Technology) Research Group, created in 2000. Director of the IoT Digital Innovation Hub and President of the AIR Institute, J. M. Corchado is also Visiting Professor at the Osaka Institute of Technology since January 2015, Visiting Professor at the Universiti Malaysia Kelantan and Member of the Advisory Group on Online Terrorist Propaganda of the European Counter Terrorism Centre (EUROPOL). J. M. Corchado has been president of the IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Society, and academic coordinator of the University Institute for Research in Art and Animation Technology at the University of Salamanca, as well as researcher at the Universities of Paisley (UK), Vigo (Spain) and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (UK). He currently combines all his activity with the direction of Master programmes in Security, Digital Animation, Mobile Telephony, Information Systems Management, Internet of Things, Social Media, 3D Design and Printing, Blockchain, Z System, Industry 4.0, Agile Project Management, and Smart Cities & Intelligent Buildings, at the University of Salamanca and his work as editor-in-chief of the journals ADCAIJ (Advances in Distributed Computing and Artificial Intelligence Journal), OJCST (Oriental Journal of Computer Science and Technology) or Electronics MDPI (Computer Science & Engineering section). J. M. Corchado mainly works on projects related to Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, IoT, Fog Computing, Edge Computing, Smart Cities, Smart Grids and Sentiment Analysis. He has recently been included in the board of trustees of the AstraZeneca Foundation, along with other health professionals and researchers recognised for bringing scientific knowledge closer to society.