Smart cities represent a great opportunity for change. From improving aging infrastructure to making our society more sustainable, the possibilities are almost endless. The potential cost savings from implementing smart cities are also likely to have a huge positive impact, with figures expected to reach $249 billion globally by 2028, up from $96 billion globally. 2023. When it comes to the development of these smart cities, data plays an important role. critical role. Data allows a smart city to optimize resources, improve the quality of life of its inhabitants and create sustainable economic development. All of this data needs to be processed and analyzed, often in real time, and this is where artificial intelligence (AI) comes into play.
Despite all the promises that AI and smart cities can bring, there is hesitation among companies and people living in these cities to adopt such technologies due to the potential for data leakage or poisoning. To address this, those building smart cities must work with security experts to ensure airtight security defenses are built into the foundation from the beginning; Only then will smart cities reach their full potential.
Product Manager at Canonical.
Creating smarter and safer streets
Citizens around the world are already feeling the benefits of smart cities. In Dublin, an artificial intelligence system monitors CO2 emissions, weather and noise levels, which means cleaner air on the city’s streets, giving planners data they can use to plan new schools and homes . Elsewhere, in Finland, smart city technology is helping Helsinki reduce carbon emissions associated with heating homes, with the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
Smart city technology doesn’t just improve everyday life: it helps reshape the future of cities, ensuring new developments can be planned around how people actually live. Urban planners rely on data analysis and artificial intelligence derived from many sources, allowing municipal authorities to better serve the real needs of their citizens.
As technology evolves, AI systems will become increasingly central. Smart cities will become “cognitive cities,” where artificial intelligence systems detect problems and then act, without the need for a human to be in the know. There is a lot of potential for the technology, but it needs rapid implementation and any problems identified and fixed early on. Open source approaches will be key, helping to accelerate product development, encouraging experimentation, and allowing problems to be rectified before they become problems.
Putting safety at the center of AI-enhanced cities
Consumers are increasingly cautious about how their data is captured and used to train the artificial intelligence models that underpin smart cities and whether their privacy is at risk. Once an AI model ingests and trains on a data set, there is no way to recover the data. There is also a risk that it could be sold to third parties, meaning citizens can be tracked without them realizing it. To ensure data privacy and ethical use of AI models, effective regulation is necessary. While there are no frameworks for this yet, several countries have started to develop guidelines, such as the UK’s pro-innovation approach. Finally, organizations can use secure environments to develop the models, with innovative capabilities such as confidential computing, strict containment, or data tokenization.
When it comes to smart city security, there are complex obstacles to overcome. A smart city brings together a variety of data sources and interconnected devices, creating a much larger attack surface that hackers can exploit. For example, in transportation, autonomous vehicles, smart traffic lights, and roadside sensors collect data that is fed into the same connected network. A breach could allow a hacker to cause traffic jams, manipulate signals, and even gain access to personal data.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has already produced a Code of Practice for consumer-generated IoT products. The guidelines ensure that any company designing IoT products and endpoints builds ones that offer security by design. While it’s a good starting point, organizations spearheading these smart city projects must do more to stay ahead of security threats, especially when integrating new technology with legacy infrastructure.
The principle of least privilege, whereby each entity in a network is granted the minimum system authorization and resources necessary to perform its function, is crucial. This should be followed by implementing strict measures such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) for both local and remote accounts and devices. MFA helps strengthen the security of the underlying framework that facilitates entry into networks and systems, especially when accessing highly sensitive data. Incorporating zero trust network design principles will also help establish a higher level of network security and greater visibility into network operations. This approach requires authentication and authorization for each new connection, employing a multi-layered defense strategy. Finally, using AI to automatically update IoT networks will ensure that each device can monitor its own status and install security patches or new software from authorized and trusted developers.
Securing AI-powered cities of tomorrow
The emergence of smart cities promises a more connected and efficient urban future. However, this vision must be based on security and trust. As cities add sensors and data-driven services, they also increase the attack surface for cyber threats and privacy breaches. Urban planners should adopt a security- and privacy-first mindset, prioritizing cybersecurity and data privacy from the start, enabling smart cities to become truly smart urban environments that improve lives.
We have presented the best secure smartphones.
This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro’s Expert Insights channel, where we feature the best and brightest minds in today’s tech industry. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing, find out more here:
