Urban inequality is shaping the future of cities globally as much as technological advancements. Urban poor have lived through the industrial revolution, digital revolution, dot-com era, and now the fourth industrial revolution, with each era promising social and economic mobility as an answer to intergenerational inequality. Can Artificial Intelligence (AI) present a breakthrough in the cycle of urban inequality? We surmise the answer is yes, provided AI is used not as a remedy but as an amplifier to reach the last one first.

As the world’s first Global South host of the AI Summit, India’s ambition to position itself as a leader in inclusive AI is unmistakable. India rightly focused on AI’s impact in seven areas: Human capital, social empowerment, safe AI, resilience, science, democratising resources, and economic growth. Now, it’s time that the tech giants, governments, and international organisations align AI mandates with the promise of leave-no-one-behind in urban India.

We put forth one ask from each of these three powerful stakeholders to resolutely commit to address stubborn development challenges.

One, make urban data a public good and AI a governance multiplier. India’s flagship urban missions, including, PMAY, AMRUT, SBM, and SCM, have invested heavily in digital infrastructure, geospatial tagging, dashboards, and a slew of tools offered by technology partners. When complemented with the national geospatial mission and national urban digital mission, collectively these unparalleled investments in urban digital architecture can, in theory, unlock the development efficiencies. However, much of this data architecture remains fragmented, siloed and incompatible across different platforms and missions. Furthermore, data are inaccessible to researchers, communities and innovators.

Cities such as New York, London, Barcelona and Singapore, among others, have embraced open data and given public access........

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