{"id":6006,"date":"2024-12-19T17:55:16","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T16:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/?p=6006"},"modified":"2024-12-19T17:55:16","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T16:55:16","slug":"how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2024\/12\/19\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"How Artificial Intelligence Will Change Cities"},"content":{"rendered":"

What impact will artificial intelligence (AI) have on cities? It is still too early to make precise predictions. However, the experience with information technologies suggests that AI will not reduce urbanization trends. On the contrary, the drive to move to urban areas will become even stronger. This is because cities, where human social interactions are most vibrant, find it easier to adapt to innovations.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Everyone is talking about artificial intelligence these days. Many are already using it, and others will soon, perhaps unknowingly. Discussions center on its advantages and dangers, its current and future role in our lives, work, and communication. Some even see it as a threat to democracy. But how does AI affect cities, particularly urban density\u2014the ratio of people living in an area to the size of that area? This question ties back to an old debate contrasting technologies that draw people to cities\u2014like aqueducts, trams, and skyscrapers (centripetal forces)\u2014with those that push them away\u2014like automobiles, radios, and televisions, which in the mid-20th century facilitated population and industry dispersion into rural areas (centrifugal forces).<\/span><\/p>\n

The Importance of Human Interaction<\/b><\/h3>\n

More than 25 years ago (or “a century ago,” as economist Joshua Gans jokingly says), I studied the complementarity between electronic and in-person interactions, which are fundamental to cities. In doing so, I considered two factors: the number of contacts and the time spent in face-to-face interaction per contact. Back then, new information technologies reduced the time needed for direct interactions but increased their overall number. When the latter effect prevailed, cities grew despite advances in internet communication.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, I believe new technologies enhance complexity and amplify human intelligence and sociability, which thrive when surrounded by other intelligent people. History bears this out. For example, the telephone did not “replace” cities, as was once feared, but became integral to urban life. We can cite more recent examples to underline the importance of direct interaction: the continuous rise in business travel, the emergence of urban hubs like Silicon Valley, and the return to offices after the remote work explosion during COVID-19. Even the headquarters of tech giants like Google\u2014and similar spaces\u2014highlight the importance of face-to-face interaction in highly technological activities and research.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now we ask: will this time be different with AI? Some research shows that the share of urban labor employed in information technology is stable, while those working in AI are increasing. Both fields primarily employ skilled workers. However, it is still hard to imagine a future where AI workers dominate urban labor forces.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even with the spread of AI, urban centers thrive due to interaction rather than mere intellectual work. Communication technologies can substitute some urban functions, but AI cannot. Geographical constraints to AI\u2019s expansion emphasize the need for face-to-face relationships: distance from major innovation hubs makes it harder for companies and regions to access the resources, talent, and collaboration opportunities necessary for effective AI adoption and adaptation, slowing its spread.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, AI could reduce demand for certain urban jobs. Yet, cities with high human capital have always demonstrated remarkable adaptability to transformations, as seen during the economic crises of the 1970s. Skilled workers in these cities have more flexible wages than in less developed areas and greater mobility into new roles\u2014two factors that help avoid widespread unemployment.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Limits of Artificial Intelligence<\/b><\/h3>\n

Cities, with their chaos and unpredictability, make replacing human decisions with AI difficult. However, AI could solve some daily problems in large cities. For example, it might break down language barriers in multilingual metropolises, lower driving costs through autonomous vehicles, and improve urban services. Thus, AI\u2019s spread remains concentrated in urban areas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nonetheless, skepticism is warranted. For instance, believing AI can easily help low-skilled immigrant workers overcome language barriers is unrealistic: skills and technology are closely linked. During the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020, nearly 69% of college graduates in the United States worked remotely, compared to only 5% of those with a high school education or less. Expecting AI to fill gaps for less educated groups is unrealistic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, in some cases, AI could worsen city life instead of improving it. Without preventive measures to limit their use, autonomous vehicles might increase urban congestion by lowering travel costs and thereby encouraging more city traffic.<\/span><\/p>\n

AI could improve certain services, such as managing subsidies or public transportation. However, these initiatives often face resistance from bureaucratic inertia, which slows innovation. Consider Boston, where bureaucratic reluctance, along with political and regulatory barriers, hindered the introduction of innovations like algorithmic tools for health inspections.<\/span><\/p>\n

Outside the City<\/b><\/h3>\n

AI\u2019s impact might be more significant outside city limits, for example, in logistics and inter-urban transport. Here too, there is a downside: automation of jobs like those in call centers located far from major cities could exacerbate brain drain and economic difficulties in less urbanized regions. Male unemployment is already the most severe social problem in the United States and affects sparsely populated areas most acutely. It is hard to imagine what jobs these residents might hold in a world dominated by automation and AI.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/b><\/h3>\n

As with previous advances in information technology, artificial intelligence seems poised to reinforce urbanization rather than diminish it.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the United States, coastal cities are more likely to adapt creatively to changes, even for less-skilled individuals. In contrast, the outlook for less urbanized areas remains highly uncertain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edward Glaeser is the Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics at Harvard University, where he has taught economic theory and urban economics since 1992. He previously served as Chair of Harvard\u2019s Department of Economics.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What impact will artificial intelligence (AI) have on cities? It is still too early to make precise predictions. However, the experience with information technologies suggests […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9582,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"coauthors":[242],"class_list":["post-6006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-non-categorizzato"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow Artificial Intelligence Will Change Cities - Rivista Eco<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2024\/12\/19\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Artificial Intelligence Will Change Cities - Rivista Eco\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What impact will artificial intelligence (AI) have on cities? It is still too early to make precise predictions. However, the experience with information technologies suggests […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2024\/12\/19\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rivista Eco\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-19T16:55:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Edward Glaeser\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Edward Glaeser\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/19\\\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/19\\\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Edward Glaeser\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e184c24be9f555b09a0a74803b5f23d6\"},\"headline\":\"How Artificial Intelligence Will Change Cities\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-19T16:55:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/19\\\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":936,\"articleSection\":[\"Non categorizzato\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/19\\\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/19\\\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\\\/\",\"name\":\"How Artificial Intelligence Will Change Cities - Rivista Eco\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-19T16:55:16+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e184c24be9f555b09a0a74803b5f23d6\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/19\\\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/19\\\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/19\\\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How Artificial Intelligence Will Change Cities\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Rivista Eco\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e184c24be9f555b09a0a74803b5f23d6\",\"name\":\"Edward Glaeser\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/eeb58aafce766249ee4dd15267b2d474ff69abbb4e95ff5bdd3e84bf8141f1f4?s=96&d=mm&r=gfa0cb5fda294d81fa023f3611c204219\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/eeb58aafce766249ee4dd15267b2d474ff69abbb4e95ff5bdd3e84bf8141f1f4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/eeb58aafce766249ee4dd15267b2d474ff69abbb4e95ff5bdd3e84bf8141f1f4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Edward Glaeser\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rivistaeco.com\\\/en\\\/author\\\/eglaeser\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Artificial Intelligence Will Change Cities - Rivista Eco","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2024\/12\/19\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How Artificial Intelligence Will Change Cities - Rivista Eco","og_description":"What impact will artificial intelligence (AI) have on cities? It is still too early to make precise predictions. However, the experience with information technologies suggests […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2024\/12\/19\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\/","og_site_name":"Rivista Eco","article_published_time":"2024-12-19T16:55:16+00:00","author":"Edward Glaeser","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Edward Glaeser","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2024\/12\/19\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2024\/12\/19\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\/"},"author":{"name":"Edward Glaeser","@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e184c24be9f555b09a0a74803b5f23d6"},"headline":"How Artificial Intelligence Will Change Cities","datePublished":"2024-12-19T16:55:16+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2024\/12\/19\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\/"},"wordCount":936,"articleSection":["Non categorizzato"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2024\/12\/19\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\/","url":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2024\/12\/19\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\/","name":"How Artificial Intelligence Will Change Cities - Rivista Eco","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-12-19T16:55:16+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e184c24be9f555b09a0a74803b5f23d6"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2024\/12\/19\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2024\/12\/19\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2024\/12\/19\/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-cities\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How Artificial Intelligence Will Change Cities"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/","name":"Rivista Eco","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e184c24be9f555b09a0a74803b5f23d6","name":"Edward Glaeser","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eeb58aafce766249ee4dd15267b2d474ff69abbb4e95ff5bdd3e84bf8141f1f4?s=96&d=mm&r=gfa0cb5fda294d81fa023f3611c204219","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eeb58aafce766249ee4dd15267b2d474ff69abbb4e95ff5bdd3e84bf8141f1f4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eeb58aafce766249ee4dd15267b2d474ff69abbb4e95ff5bdd3e84bf8141f1f4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Edward Glaeser"},"url":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/author\/eglaeser\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9582"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6006"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6006\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6052,"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6006\/revisions\/6052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6006"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=6006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}