For years, the vision of the “smart city” has been sold on a promise of hyper-efficiency: a world of sensors, seamless traffic, and artificial intelligence-driven automation.  But as a wave of next-generation urban projects rises from the deserts of the Middle East and North Africa, a more profound question is emerging: What should a smart city actually do for its people?

Kate Barker, executive board adviser and chief futurist for Saudi Arabia’s flagship project, NEOM, told Arab News that “the challenge is not technology or money, it is mindset.” 

In Saudi Arabia’s NEOM, Barker presented a vision where AI is less an administrator and more a companion. She described a future where each resident has an AI twin that monitors health and advises on personal development.

Read the full story at Arab News