AI Now Used to Manage Cities, from Traffic to Waste Management

According to Counterpoint Research, 238 AI-based program initiatives are already being used to manage major cities globally this year.

The majority of these programs are used for traffic management.

"Traffic management is the most popular application of AI in city management, accounting for 22% of all programs analyzed in this study," Counterpoint stated in its report on Wednesday (September 3, 2025).

Counterpoint also found that some cities are using AI as a decision-making tool.

"For example, the city of Austin, Texas, has introduced AI software that automates the building permit application process to make it faster and more transparent," they said.

The following details the types of AI program initiatives for managing global cities in 2025, according to Counterpoint's findings:

* Traffic Management: 22%

* Decision Making: 17%

* Citizen Chatbots: 12%

* Waste Management: 9%

* Water Management: 6%

* Weather Monitoring: 6%

* Urban Planning: 5%

* Road Maintenance: 4%

* Robotic Automation: 4%

* Predictive Maintenance: 4%

* Other: 11%

Counterpoint conducted this study in the 100 largest global metropolitan areas. Some examples include Singapore, Seoul, Beijing, Dubai, and San Francisco.

Bengaluru, India, is the leading city in AI adoption.

"Bengaluru is the overall leader in AI initiatives for city management, followed by Tokyo and Seoul," they said.