FEATURE: SMART CITIES
Roy Strik, Head of Business Development
for Pearson Professional Middle East, gives
us an overview of some of the skillsets
needed in order to make the most of the
Smart City revolution.
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presence is even more critical in countries
characterised by ageing populations and
labour shortages that hamper operational
efficiency. Singapore hotels, for example, are
already using service robots to clean rooms
and deliver supplies.
The role of robotics
The use of robots in various industries
has already begun. For example, in June
2018, Google invested US$500 million into
automated logistics for JD (the Chinese
equivalent to Amazon). And at the end of
last year, Alibaba invested US$15 billion
into its own robotic logistics infrastructure.
Robots will be instrumental in the rise
of hyper-connected Smart Cities. Their
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INTELLIGENTCIO
Tokyo, the 2020 host of the Olympics,
will introduce robot taxis for flexible
transportation for tourists. And closer to
home, Dubai is already experimenting with
the working of robots in public services,
transportation, policing and surveillance, as
well as targeting automation of 25% of its
transportation system by 2030, all as part
of its efforts of creating the happiest city in
the world.
Artificial Intelligence to boost
efficiency of municipal services
AI algorithms are becoming an integral part
of Smart City initiatives that aim to automate
and improve urban activities and operations.
While programmes may vary from case to
case, most of them generally share the goals
of improving living conditions, making cities
more competitive and making them more
environmentally sustainable.
Therefore, the use of AI is a huge driving
force in digitalising cities. Gartner predicts
that 20% of all citizens in developed nations
will use AI assistants to help them with
an array of operational tasks, and that by
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