Smart cites are almost universally regarded as a good thing by an excited commentariat. Cheerleaders and true believers abound, proclaiming the unlimited wonder and opportunity of full digital integration. Utopia is only a click away!
The uncomfortable questions of what could go wrong with smart cities are less frequently considered. Surveillance, the end of privacy, and sensory overload may be steps on the road to hell. We could very easily trip into dystopia.
“We’re going to have trillions of sensors embedded in billions of objects, reporting data all of the time…”
In this invited 10-minute talk I gave to the Infrastructure Association of Queensland Assembly in late-2021, I considered many of the potential hazards of smart cities. These include digital movement passes, social credit scores, the internet of bodies, advanced robots, drones, and biased algorithms.
“The largest upcoming challenge for urban noise management is drones. Right now, you know what one sounds like; imagine dozens, or hundreds…”
I conclude that many key urban decisions will be made by algorithms in the not-too-distant future. Therefore, a major part of future urban planning and management will be programming and using algorithms correctly and responsibly.
Please note I have included video and audio options for this post. If you can watch the video, I would encourage you to do so because the imagery I use tells a profound, parallel story. If you can only manage audio, don’t worry because the audio covers all the key details.
“We are heading into a situation where you will be permanently surveilled from all angles, but you won’t necessarily know you’re being surveilled.”
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