KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 16 – Fragmented data, uneven levels of readiness and traditional work processes remain among the challenges in developing artificial intelligence (AI)-powered smart cities.
PLANMalaysia Research and Development Division deputy director TPr Dr Muhammad Hakimi Mohd Hussain said the current challenges were not due to a lack of technology, but the ability to manage and use data effectively.
“The real challenge is not because we do not have the technology, but data is still fragmented, levels of readiness are also uneven, and there are work processes that are still carried out traditionally or manually and repeatedly,” he said.
He was speaking at the Smart City Seminar: Artificial Intelligence Meets Urban Planning at the KLGCC Convention Centre here yesterday.
Dr Muhammad Hakimi said AI served as an intelligence layer that helped detect and understand situations, as well as make predictions, respond and learn from data patterns.
However, he said AI adoption should begin by identifying the actual problems faced by a city, rather than choosing the technology first before determining how it should be used.
“AI implementation needs to start with the problem we want to solve. We should not choose the technology first and then look for a suitable (actual) problem,” he added.
Dr Muhammad Hakimi also explained that AI could be used to support analysis, forecasting and simulation, as well as generate recommendations to aid the urban planning process.
He, however, said that technology should only serve as a supporting tool, while planning decisions and responsibility must remain in human hands.
