Exploring the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Shaping Smart Cities

Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a crucial role in the development of smart cities by addressing challenges related to security, privacy, governance, healthcare, transportation, and sustainability. The key objectives include identifying urban challenges, analyzing AI’s contribution to decision-making and e-governance, exploring its applications in healthcare monitoring and intelligent transport systems, and focusing on ethical aspects, infrastructural, and regulatory concerns. The study follows a systematic review methodology, relying on secondary research from IEEE papers, journals, and case studies published between 2017 and 2023, with comparative analysis used to identify common trends, opportunities, and limitations. Insights reveal that the integration of AI with IoT, blockchain, cloud computing, and big data can significantly enhance urban management, citizen well-being, and sustainable development, though barriers such as Smart cities still face obstacles such as technology anxiety, questions of ethics, financial burdens of implementation, and uneven regional uptake. Based on lessons learned across multiple research studies, this paper presents an overview of AI’s role in shaping the future of smart cities.