Artificial Intelligence (AI) is profoundly changing our cities, but many of these changes are invisible. In this lecture, we will observe how AI is transforming urban governance and city making, triggering the formation of unprecedented and risky posthuman dynamics. A “posthuman turn” can be seen in contemporary practices of anticipatory governance whereby distant urban futures are algorithmically foreseen by AI systems, in ways that escape human understanding. Above all, posthuman tendencies can be found in the very composition of governance networks, with artificial and not only human intelligences now shaping the act of governing and the planning process.
Overall, the aim of this lecture by Federico Cugurullo (Associate Professor in Smart and Sustainable Urbanism, Trinity College Dublin), is to explain, in theory and practice, the emergence of a posthuman urban governance, with a focus on its risks and challenges, particularly in relation to urban planning and the development of cities. Drawing on international case studies, we will learn about major ethical issues, including large-scale trolley problems, that require new thinking and strategies to preserve human agency and accountability in the governance of future cities. In keeping with the spirit of both critical theory and engaged research, we will eventually discuss a potential way forward and a scenario in which AI aligns with a sustainable urbanism.
[This talk is free but please register to attend.]