In recent years, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has been a pivotal force in advancing us to living in a ‘smart city’. You might not realize it, but AI is likely already being used in many public services. For instance, AI can be used to predict crime, improve traffic management or monitor your financial transactions.
Deployment of AI technologies however come with its own set of challenges. While the technologies certainly make a city safer, but citizens have great concerns too about privacy, freedom, and accountability.
So in this article, we will explore several AI technologies that are likely to be used in a smart city. Let’s explore the advantages and concerns posed by these advanced computer systems from the perspective of everyday citizens.
Living In A Smart City With AI Technology
Surveillance and Computer Vision for Crime Detection
AI-driven surveillance systems are likely to have already been deployed in many modern cities around the world. These systems can utilize computer vision technology to monitor public spaces in real-time. The tech can very quickly analyze footage to detect suspicious activities such as theft, violence, or vandalism. High-tech cameras equipped with facial recognition can also be very efficient in identifying individuals to pull up records about that person.
Concerns:
Are you a citizen that is concerned about being constantly watched in public spaces? Well, I wouldn’t blame you if you raise questions about personal privacy. There is always a chance that AI systems may misidentify you as we do not know what kind of data has been fed into the facial recognition algorithms.
Smart City Predictive Policing Algorithms
By anticipating criminal behavior with AI, police can take preventative action, potentially stopping crimes before they occur. This can lead to a reduction in crime rates and better deployment of police resources. In a futuristic city, police patrols may even appear in the form of police drones. High-tech drones might not even need any human intervention to operate.
Concerns:
Critics argue that predictive policing can reinforce existing biases within the data. If the data used to train the machine learning models is skewed, then the AI may unfairly target minority communities. We should also be highly concerned with how AI systems make decisions. For example, does the AI make decisions based on facial features, religious affiliations or political views?
Smart City Traffic Management and Public Safety
AI-enabled traffic systems can help in reducing traffic jams and make streets safer for pedestrians. In emergencies, they can also play an active role ensuring that first responders can reach their destination faster, saving lives.
Concerns:
While this technology seems straightforward, it raises concerns about how data is collected and analyzed. Just imagine the sheer amount of data high-tech cameras can capture in seconds! Let’s not forget too that computers are able to process and analyze large volume of data at a very rapid rate.
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Is A Futuristic Smart City Really Better and Safer?
The Pros and Cons of AI-Driven Smart City
Smart City Benefits:
- Increased Safety: In a smart city plagued by high crime rates or inefficient public services, AI technologies can improve the standard of living.
- Efficient Public Services: Improved traffic management, more efficient energy consumption, and more environmental friendly urban planning.
- Reduced Human Error: AI systems, if properly trained, can eliminate human errors caused by fatigue, stress or bias. Data-driven decision making can produce better results.
Smart City Concerns:
- Privacy Erosion: It is inevitable that living in a smart city will lead to the erosion of personal privacy. True data security is practically non-existent.
- Bias and Discrimination: The AI systems could be making autonomous decisions that may not align with humanity values.
- Over-Reliance on Technology: We have already experienced how computer systems can fail us quite dramatically. Citizens have to bear the risk that at anytime, they could lose access to electricity, banking systems, transportation, healthcare, etc.
What About Citizen Freedom In A Smart City?
An authoritarian government, even one that is deemed democratic are already building a smart city where surveillance systems are ubiquitous. The perceived benefits of living in a futuristic smart city do not ease the fear of citizens worrying about loss of personal freedom.
The challenge for the government is to implement AI surveillance systems in a way that balance safety and efficiency, with strict respect for personal data privacy. This way, the government can reduce citizens’ fears while still maintain control over security.
Here are some suggestions on how the government can implement artificial intelligence surveillance responsibly:
Clear Data Governance Policies
- Governments should establish transparent data governance policies that outline how personal data is collected, stored, used, and protected. By clearly defining who has access to the data and for what purposes, governments can mitigate citizens’ concerns over potential abuse of power.
Use of Privacy-Preserving Technologies
- Governments can adopt privacy-enhancing technologies such as anonymization, and encryption to safeguard individual identities. The right to privacy should be rewarded to law-abiding citizens. On the other hand, privacy rights should not be given to criminals, especially those who repeatedly break the law.
Minimal Data Collection and Retention
- One way to mitigate concerns from citizens is to limit data collection to only what is necessary for public safety. The government should enforce strict data retention policies that ensure personal information is deleted after a certain period of time.
Citizen Feedback Mechanisms
- Governments should implement channels for citizen feedback, where concerns regarding AI surveillance systems can be voiced and addressed. This creates a controlled outlet for discontent and allows for improvements to be implemented in an orderly manner.
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Is A Futuristic Smart City Really Better and Safer?
Countermeasures to Reduce the Impact Of Citizen Surveillance
As more AI-powered surveillance technology is deployed in a smart city, it should prompt the citizens to take some proactive steps to reduce the impact of AI surveillance in their lives.
Digital Privacy Tools
- Living well in the digital era means the citizens must learn how to use privacy-enhancing technologies. For example, make sure you understand how to properly use encrypted messaging apps, virtual private networks (VPNs), or privacy-centric browsers like Brave, Firefox or Tor. This is not about trying to cover up our tracks to escape from the law but it is more about protecting our personal data as Internet users.
Data Minimization in Social Media
- Are you aware that artificial intelligence has accelerated the technology of data collection? The algorithms behind social media are now even more efficient in producing insightful patterns about the behavior of social media users. You should really limit the amount of personal information that you share online.
Awareness of Legal Rights
- It’s time to brush-up your legal knowledge, so you are more informed on what you are allowed to post online. Legal knowledge can empower you as a citizen to take appropriate action when government surveillance is misused.
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Conclusion: Striking a Balance
While AI surveillance systems can undoubtedly enhance security and efficiency in a smart city, governments must tread carefully to avoid eroding personal freedoms of citizens. Transparent government policies will help to mitigate privacy concerns from the people.
Citizens too should not feel that they are powerless when they feel that their personal freedom is being violated. For example, Internet users may use various tools and methods to safeguard their online privacy and autonomy.
In the end, a smart city must find a balance between safety and freedom. AI technologies should be used as a tool for empowerment rather than control. Striking that balance is the key to building a smart city that is just in terms of legal prowess. With an optimum balance in place, the people and the government can then thrive and prosper.
