The Role of Big Data and AI in Sustainable Urban Development

Increasingly abundant big data and artificial intelligence applications are restructuring economic activities and daily life. This is epitomized in the notion of the smart city, and especially visible on our streets, where e-scooters or pool-riding services are added every month and reshape our mobility. It’s a time of experimentation and that may be a good thing. Yet, there are also signs of discontent, raising the question of how big data can be managed and organized in a way that reduces congestion and improves the daily travel routines of millions of citizens, supports the wider public good while also leveraging Israel’s potential as a start-up nation.

This policy paper asks how big data and artificial intelligence in smart mobility can best be managed to deliver desirable goals such as incubation of further start-ups, less gridlock on streets, and better environmental quality. Given the hype about artificial intelligence and big data, and their potential to shape the technosphere and society, it is surprising how little attention is paid to the important role of governance.

We take the example of smart mobility in Israel to investigate how integrated data management can multiply the benefits of big data applications, while effectively managing risks.

We find that integrated data platforms offer an opportunity to leverage benefits if three key design principles are followed:

1. open (but not necessarily free) data access;
2. maintaining the privacy, agency and participation of individuals, users, and
   the public; and
3. tailoring mobility services to meet well-defined goals of public policy.

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