Algorithms, software and smart technologies have a growing presence in cities around the world. Artificial intelligence (AI), agent-based modelling, the internet of things and machine learning can be found practically everywhere now – from lampposts to garbage bins, traffic lights and cars. Not only that, these technologies are also influencing how cities are planned, guiding big decisions about new buildings, transport and infrastructure projects. City-dwellers tend to accept the presence of these technologies passively – if they notice it at all. Yet this acceptance is punctuated by intermittent panic over privacy – take, for example, Transport for London's latest plans to track passenger journeys across the transport network using wifi, which drew criticism from privacy experts.