Urban populations are expected to account for 68% of the global population, putting unprecedented strain on cities’ infrastructure. This rapid urbanisation is exposing critical gaps that compromise residents’ quality of life, from inefficient essential services to grid and water-management deficiencies. The implications are particularly profound for underserved communities, where infrastructure and basic services may already be lacking. Municipal leaders, policymakers, and sustainability directors are now grappling with the challenge of ensuring their cities evolve in a way that is both technologically advanced and equitable and inclusive.
Connectivity is at the heart of this challenge. In the United States alone, an estimated 14.5 million people still lack access to reliable broadband, creating vast “broadband deserts” that exacerbate social and economic divides. These areas, often rural or underserved urban communities, are left behind in a digital age where access to high-speed internet is no longer a luxury but a necessity. This issue transcends technology—it strikes at the core of equity and social justice. It’s also one of the key reasons programs like BEAD have garnered so much attention, including among AI experts developing connectivity solutions. Ensuring that all citizens, regardless of their geographic location, have access to healthcare, education, and other critical connected services is vital for fostering inclusive rural and urban growth.
Four Steps to Bridge the Digital Divide
The consequences of inadequate digital infrastructure are profound. Without connectivity, cities risk deepening existing inequalities, particularly in low-income or remote areas where residents may already face significant barriers to accessing essential services. Network operators around the world have begun leveraging AI to address the digital divide and identify areas where broadband can be brought to underserved communities. In the process, their AI solutions are accelerating the speed at which city leaders can improve residents’ quality of life and help them benefit from the digital revolution. Based on our experience working with these operators and city leaders, we’ve identified four steps to start using AI to bridge the digital divide:
- Prioritise Building a Robust Data Foundation
To fully utilise the power of AI in smart city initiatives, city planners must first establish a strong data infrastructure. AI, as many organisations have learned the hard way, requires good data. If datasets are incomplete, inaccurate, or inaccessible due to organisational silos, even the best algorithms in the world will be ineffective.
Building a strong data foundation involves not only collecting and managing vast amounts of data but also ensuring that the data is accurate, up-to-date, and securely stored and processed. With well-organised data, AI can help city and telecom leaders make more informed decisions about where to build new connectivity infrastructure or how to optimise the existing network to expand coverage without additional capital investment. By prioritising data governance and integrating data from various departments, municipalities can also establish data-driven control rooms to better monitor their connectivity infrastructure and generate actionable AI-driven insights, leading to more efficient and equitable urban management.
- Adopt a Citizen-Centric Approach
As cities increasingly incorporate AI into their operations, it’s essential to keep the needs and experiences of residents at the forefront. A citizen-centric approach ensures that technology deployment is guided by the actual needs of the community rather than by technological possibilities alone. Surveys and other feedback mechanisms help city leaders better understand residents’ actual priorities and challenges.
For example, a new AI-driven outdoor recreation app may sound cool, but if citizens are more concerned about improved healthcare access and remote education opportunities, it’s better to explore how AI can tackle those larger, more pressing priorities. AI can also be used to tailor services and improve transportation systems, but city leaders must first understand the biggest challenges that, if solved, will directly improve the quality of life for residents.
- Invest in Scalable and Flexible AI Solutions
To future-proof smart city projects, city planners should focus on AI solutions that are both scalable and adaptable. A prime example is Sand Technologies’ innovative approach to optimising fibre rollout and cell tower placements to improve access for residents worldwide. As a leading global AI solutions company, Sand Technologies has helped telecom leaders and forward-thinking governments use advanced geographic information systems (GIS) and AI-driven models to increase broadband coverage while reducing costs dramatically. This strategy not only enhances citizen connectivity but also allows network operators to launch innovative new services while saving public-private partnerships millions of dollars in infrastructure investments.
Scalable AI solutions allow cities to start small, with pilot projects, and expand as the technology proves its value and additional funding becomes available. Flexibility is equally important; as cities evolve, the AI systems in place must be capable of integrating new data sources and adapting to changes in urban dynamics without requiring complete overhauls.
- Develop Long-Term Resilience Strategies Using AI-Powered Scenario Planning
Some of a city’s biggest challenges—climate change, population growth, and technological disruption—demand that mayors and city planners develop long-term resilience strategies. AI-powered scenario planning tools can help municipalities anticipate future risks and plan accordingly. By using digital twins and analysing huge datasets about critical areas—the impact of extreme weather events, demographic shifts, and evolving energy and water demands—city planners can simulate various scenarios and strategies to ensure the city’s infrastructure, services, and governance structures remain resilient for all residents over time.
A Look to The Future of Smart Cities
The concept of smart cities has been around for decades, and many municipalities have made incredible progress toward their goals. Now that more mayors, planners, and citizens are interested in AI, it’s exciting to consider how much more smart cities in the United States and worldwide can achieve. Improvements in several critical areas are within reach with AI, from sustainability and healthcare to agriculture and closing the digital divide. And that’s just the beginning.
But where, specifically, should city leaders start? The smart city AI journey must begin with data—not just the data a city manages, but also the data it has about residents’ quality-of-life priorities. By keeping citizens at the centre of their smart-city plan, leaders can identify the areas where AI, digital twins, and other technologies can be applied for the greatest impact. That journey is almost always tied to connectivity improvements; the smartest city is often the most connected. Finding ways to leverage AI to bridge the digital divide is, therefore, a promising early step toward advancing digital equity and realising society’s shared vision of smart-city success.
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