What future we should strive for, amidst the advent of technology like AI?

Like there is no tomorrow, it's amusing to think of a generation that thought of being modern enough to rush and claim the title of “Modern”, ranging from modern art to modern architecture, to modern history, and whatnot; and likewise, generation X, Y, Z, until there is no alphabet left.

Not to their surprise, every time when mankind thought they reached the pinnacle of socio-technological revolution, the height of intellect and the best of lifestyle and prosperity that money could bring; there came a new revolution in one sphere or another, say technological or collective consciousness, to challenge their much deliberated and beloved conclusion; to inevitably reshape the landscape – say, like what we see today with the advent of AI which seems to be disrupting every walk of life, in a way no one thought of a few years ago.

Not to forget that most of such “modern” movements found their origin and reasoning, either in retaliation to the inefficient preceding socio-economic system or remain rooted in the ambition to bring a new fair, just, and equal socio-economic order - the quest continues.

Given that every historical period remains modern in its unique context, every generation should remain humble and receptive to what the future beholds, and not lose sight of the ultimate outcome that is envisaged - with whatever tools and whatever means they have at their disposal in their vernacular period - that is, to strive for a fair, just, and equal socio-economic order; enabled through tech, or without.

Whether modern enough or not, today we do have signs already that AI for instance, will be a catalyst to achieve such desired socio-economic order, much faster, in the coming years, the way it is making the world a level playfield - by empowering individuals, small businesses and smaller communities for instance with resources (e.g. AI tools) which they previously didn’t have access to;  as well as democratizing the knowledge by enabling wider and deeper access to knowledge unlike ever in history (e.g. LLM), among others.

The impact of AI and its results are likely to be seen on many fronts, from cities making mindful choices amidst scarce resources, to citizens taking the right actions since being able to understand the impact of the choices they make, beforehand. New Fintech, Agritech, MedTech, Social-tech etc. powered by AI will be able to help those, who need the help most, in unprecedented ways - not only relying on traditional channels of charity, philanthropy, or grants and subsidies, but essentially by empowering them at the grassroots level; hence paving a faster way to a fair, just, and equal socio-economic system.

Interesting times indeed!

Author: Anoop Jha
Founder, Urban Tenets, Netherlands
https://urbantenets.nl/

Cities, complex as they are, require a sum total approach for planning, management, and growth.

A sum total approach* shall help city administration to gain a macro level and multidisciplinary perspective while leading to integrated approach and strategies.

*The sum total approach here essentially may imply macro-level and multidisciplinary approach but the meaning and modality go far beyond.

Distinctive characteristics of urban affairs at present, in an encompassing sense-

☑️Legacy and emerging challenges (and awareness)
☑️Transitioning demographic traits and shifting collective (community) consciousness
☑️Increasingly aggravated climate and weather events (and awareness, voice)
☑️Unprecedented technological opportunities (emergence, pace, unfathomable outcome)
☑️Unprecedented emergence of enterprise ecosystem (numbers, pace, heterogeneity, scale)
☑️Unprecedented participatory approach within and amidst different spheres (public, private…)
☑️City administrations demonstrating unprecedented internal knowledge and specialization
☑️Unprecedented acknowledgment and focus on innovation within the public sector
☑️Repository of pilot testbed learnings
☑️Cascading localized effects of geo-political and economic turbulence

Changes and shifts at many levels and within many spheres which are happening in this decade and soon in the proceeding years, with cities at its center stage, are not even comparable to past century combined, except key milestones like consolidation of industrialization, globalization, the emergence of computers, and the internet. Truly unprecedented, what we see today.

It's not just an unprecedented time, for cities and city administrations, but also a poised time for them calling for resurgence, given the access to a vast body of accumulated universal knowledge; previously unimaginable (still) emerging, accessible, and market-ready technological tools; a (growing) ecosystem to support, test and realize utopian visions; previously unwitnessed level of specialization, interwinding web and shared aspirations of stakeholder, among others.

Amidst all these changes and shifts, a whole new governance approach to planning, managing, and growth strategy is required for cities, with city administrations being in an ever more prominent role. Ironically despite quite a bit of exceptions, emerging examples and proof of concepts; we still see the majority of urban governance responses that are quick-fix and fragmented, under the weight of decades and centuries of inertia - living budget to budget, solving problems department by department, battling to match demand and supply, focusing on tenure to tenure ect.

🤹‍♂️What may, not only help city administrations, but also rather unavoidable, is to adopt a sum total approach to look at problems that each city is confronting and opportunities that each one beholds.