Super-Smart City

Over the last year, a Chinese e-commerce giant has been tracking just about every bit of digital data it can get its hands on in Hangzhou city — from video feeds to social media to traffic information. The goal of the project (known as City Brain) is to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize and improve many aspects of urban life.

So far, it seems to be working. The system has relieved traffic congestion by monitoring congestion and communicating alternate routes to drivers continuously. Accidents can be detected and responded to automatically, and the system can even detect illegal parking in real time. As a result, the average travel time has dropped by 10 percent, reducing fuel consumption and improving air quality.

Lawbreakers can also be tracked throughout the city, enabling police to pick them up more quickly. The system can even identify aberrant behavior and track the movements of “persons of interest,” including where they go and who they meet with.

The trial has been so successful that the company is planning to offer City Brain as a product for use in other cities, both in China and around the world. Although there will undoubtedly be some resistance to widespread adoption of such a system, particularly as it relates to privacy issues, several smart city projects are already underway. It will fall on local authorities to determine just how much information is too much information.