How cities are defining the rules of engagement for emerging technology

Source: Cities Today Published: November 16th, 2020

There’s plenty of hype about how COVID-19 is accelerating the roll-out of artificial intelligence (AI), drones, robotics, surveillance systems and more but alongside this a quieter, more fundamental shift is taking place. A growing number of cities are working to better define the rules of engagement to ensure technology deployed in their communities is fair, open and explainable.

These considerations are not new – the rise and fall of the Sidewalk Labs initiative in Toronto, for instance, was a microcosm for debates about the use of data, privacy and the role of big technology companies in the public realm. The controversial project to create a smart neighbourhood in a disused area of Toronto’s Quayside district was shut down in May, with Sidewalk Labs CEO, Dan Doctoroff, citing “unprecedented economic uncertainty”.

Milou Jansen, Coordinator on behalf of the Cities Coalition for Digital Rights core team

The pandemic and related crises are putting increased emphasis on these issues. Milou Jansen, Coordinator on behalf of the Cities Coalition for Digital Rights core team, which comprises Amsterdam, Barcelona and New York, notes that considerations about the use of technology go beyond privacy and surveillance.

She said that in light of the pandemic: “There is a momentum for the digital agenda in cities – not any digital agenda, but one that is inclusive, addressing the digital divide; ethical, placing digital rights at the forefront; and green, making the linkages between the digital and the ecological transition.

“The downside of this is that, if there is not active leadership by public institutions to bring the public debate in this direction, the discussion around digitalisation can easily fall into technocratic considerations that lead to business-as-usual in the tech field in cities.”

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