'Smart cities that fail to master AI will be left behind,' says Singapore

Singapore, ranked the smartest city in the world in certain polls, has warned cities they must get a handle on artificial intelligence (AI) if they are to succeed as'smart cities', trusted by citizens and enterprises to manage data correctly. The warning came at Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona today (November 19), as Singapore, awarded city of the year at the 2018 show, shared the stage with local politicians from Barcelona and Madrid at the 2019 kick-off. Vivian Balakrishnan, minister for foreign affairs for the government of Singapore, set out Singapore's own AI strategy, as a geographically-constrained but tech-savvy city state. "This technology will change the world, and cities that master AI will get ahead -- those that don't will be left behind," he said. "The fact computers and systems can now see hear, speak and understand is transformational. It will transform our economy, disrupt our politics, alter the nature of our jobs -- and it will define the next phase of our'smart nation' journey."