Smart Cities of the Future (Scientific American Explores Big Ideas)

Through the use of smart technology—an integrated network of computers and telecommunication devices that collect a large amount of data to facilitate machine learning and artificial intelligence—urban areas have the opportunity to optimize public services, improve infrastructure, and operate in a more environmentally friendly way. However, those who are skeptical of smart cities argue that the large amount of data that is collected could easily be abused or fall into the wrong hands, violating the privacy of city-dwellers. This volume offers a wide range of perspectives on the potential high-tech future of cities.