Shaping future sustainable cities with AI-powered urban informatics: Toward human-AI symbiosis

Abstract

The rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has ushered in a transformative era for urban studies, moving beyond traditional analytical methods to advanced Deep Learning architectures, with Transformers model in the spotlight. Yet, unlike bioinformatics, which has successfully utilised AI to decode static biological systems, or cheminformatics, which optimises chemical synthesis, urban informatics grappled with human-centric complexity that encompass subjective perceptions, socio-political dynamics, and multifaceted challenges that defy deterministic solutions. To avoid techno-solutionist pitfalls, we convened an interdisciplinary group of scholars to explore AI-powered urban informatics and proposed a Human-AI Symbiosis framework to foster sustainable cities and advance urban research. This Opinion paper synthesises insights into four key research directions, focusing on the evolving landscape of urban informatics and its potential to drive innovation in sustainable cities, policy-making, and societal development.