UN guide aims to keep people, not machines, in charge as cities adopt AI

The United Nations has launched its first guide to help cities use artificial intelligence in public services while keeping people, not machines, accountable for the decisions that affect residents.

The toolbox, issued by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and UN-Habitat on 4 November 2026, is aimed at mayors, city managers and policymakers deciding how AI can improve services, what safeguards are needed, and when it should not be used at all.

AI is already at work in city halls

The UN points out that AI is already being used by cities around the world: chatbots answer residents' questions, algorithms help decide which roads to repair, and software drives administrative decisions. These tools can make services more responsive, but they can also bring risks around bias, privacy, human rights and accountability.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General, said: "Smart, sustainable cities are defined by how well people benefit from technology designed to improve everyday living. The U4SSC toolbox helps city officials turn international standards and responsible AI principles into guidance for better public services and lasting trust."

Four rules

Built around real examples from cities from Helsinki to eThekwini in South Africa, the toolbox helps cities work through practical questions across the life of an AI project: what problem they are trying to solve, who could benefit or be harmed, how a system should be monitored, who is accountable for its decisions, and when to change course or stop.

It sets out four core rules:

Start with the city's problem, not the technology. Keep public decisions under meaningful human control. Apply stronger safeguards as the potential impact grows. And recognise that deciding not to use an AI system can be the responsible choice.

Ten years of smarter cities

The launch marks ten years of United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC), a UN initiative coordinated by the ITU, UN-Habitat and the UN Economic Commission for Europe, with support from 19 other UN agencies and programmes. Alongside the toolbox, it is publishing guidance on urban AI governance, security for digital public infrastructure, city data platforms and more.

Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, said AI "must help cities better respond to the needs of communities, especially those living in informal settlements and other underserved areas."

Why it matters for Birmingham

Like councils across the UK, Birmingham City Council uses digital tools to run services for more than a million residents, from online forms to its Brum Bot virtual assistant on the council website. As AI becomes more capable, the questions in the UN guide will become everyday ones for local government: when to use it, how to check it is fair, and how residents can challenge a decision.

The toolbox and the other new publications are free to download from the U4SSC website.