Breakthroughs in AI offer cities extraordinary opportunities to improve economic competitiveness, social impact, and citizen services. But realizing AI’s full potential will only happen if urban leaders are able to overcome challenges around governance, data, resources, and public trust.

To help city leaders navigate this path, global research firm ThoughtLab announced the formation of a multi-stakeholder research coalition to develop an evidence-based AI playbook and benchmarking model for cities. Coalition members include leaders from across the urban ecosystem, including Dell Technologies, FedEx, FTI Consulting, General Motors, Intel, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Wireside Communications.

The flagship research program, Building an AI-First City, will analyze the AI strategies, investment plans, and performance results of hundreds of worldwide cities. The study will draw on proprietary benchmarking data, a curated repository of municipal AI strategies and policy documents, and in-depth collaboration with public-sector leaders, innovators, and technology partners.

"AI is triggering a new era of urban transformation that will fundamentally reshape how cities provide value and services to residents, businesses, and communities,” said Lou Celi, CEO of ThoughtLab. "The research will equip urban leaders with evidence-based insights, valuable benchmarks, and proven strategies to deploy AI responsibly, securely and effectively. Our goal is to help cities harness AI into a force multiplier to drive economic growth, social impact, and sustainability, while being sensitive to citizen concerns.”

A comprehensive view into AI innovation across cities

The study will examine the full spectrum of latest AI solutions, including agentic, generative, edge, multimodal, physical AI, and sovereign AI—and their integration with critical urban systems, such as digital twins, cloud platforms, IoT, and data center infrastructure. It will highlight the most successful use cases across key urban domains, including:

• Government management and planning
• Living, health, education, and inclusion
• Mobility and transportation
• Urban infrastructure
• Energy, utilities, and the environment
• Public safety, security, and resilience
• Economy and business

In parallel, ThoughtLab economists will develop the first rigorous urban AI maturity model and barometer, assessing the progress of 200 cities against seven pillars of AI best practice, including:

1. Create an AI vision, plan, and outcome-driven approach
2. Build rigorous AI governance and data security
3. Install an AI-ready foundation and ecosystem
4. Reimagine citizen experiences and services
5. Prepare for the future of work
6. Take AI solutions to the next level
7. Map a clear AI partnership and funding path

The research will be conducted over the summer and released on November 3^rd at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona. The study will also be made available at no cost to city leaders, businesses, academic institutions, and community organizations worldwide.

Organizations interested in supporting this research initiative are encouraged to connect with ThoughtLab to learn about available sponsorship opportunities. Municipal leaders, public officials and city administrators should also reach out to ThoughtLab to participate in the study and share insights.