Artificial Intelligence and New Visions of the Future of the City: Exploring Urban Narratives Through Semantic and Network Analysis

This article examines the evolving perceptions of cities in the context of burgeoning artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. First, the work explores recently developed theories, such as those on urban assemblage, AI urbanism, and autonomous cities that offer useful interpretations for the recent material transformations and in conceiving cities as increasingly hybrid and complex entities. Secondly, we aim to reflect, both from a theoretical and an empirical point of view, on urban narratives that emerge around the relationship between “AI and the City.” Through the semantic and network analysis applied to a sample of data extracted from the X.com (formerly Twitter) archive, this article investigates the visions of future cities considering the opinions of people. Results reveal a spectrum of views about technological and socioeconomic aspects and narratives, which oscillate between techno-euphoria and technophobia. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating public sentiment into urban policy decisions. While AI investments can offer benefits for the functioning of urban assemblages, understanding and integrating people’s experiences and perspectives are vital for the conceptualization of new and inclusive urban models. This approach paves the way for policies that resonate more closely with the perceptions and expectations of urban dwellers in an AI-integrated future.