Transformation of smart city public services through AI and big data analytics: towards universal cross-sector solutions

Abstract

The chapter introduces a methodological framework for enabling public authorities to develop pathways to integrate Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analysis, addressing the societal challenges raised by such technologies. Our approach, based on ‘universality’ of smart city applications, facilitates the transformation of public services through the adoption of disruptive technologies, focusing on the microservices level. This is based on the identification of commonalities amongst different public services. We argue that it is possible to create a sustainable ecosystem of smart city services around disruptive technologies, providing fertile ground for public sector experimentation with new technologies, assessing the societal implications of this disruption. The integration of disruptive technologies should strengthen interactions among public authorities and citizens, allow more proficient timely intervention, and accelerate collaboration between citizens and public authorities. The goal of what we call “universality” is to present an approach with a core societal component that provides versatile solutions that can be replicated to other organizations or service domains.