Citiverse y la IA: todo gira en torno a los residentes y la perspectiva humana

In the aftermath of the launch of the first Citiverse Assembly yesterday in Valencia, this dynamic session on “Citiverse Rising: Virtual Worlds and AI Agents for Urban Transformation”, within the Smart Cities World Expo Congress 2025 brought together outstanding partners and visionaries. They discussed one of the most pressing challenges of our time: how cities can navigate an era of too many projects, fierce competition for innovation, and rising costs while keeping people at the heart of every technological advance.

With AI, virtual worlds, and digital twins reshaping the way we plan and experience urban life, participants explored some crucial questions: Do these technologies take decisions for us? Do they serve municipalities to improve residents’ lives and how? Do they create jobs and how to get qualified for those new jobs? There are no simple answers, but the debate revealed a shared conviction that artificial intelligence is a tool for better lives, not an end in itself.

The panel, composed of exceptional experts representing policy, research, city leadership, and the technology sector, included: Dr. Okan Geray, Steering Committee Chair, Global Initiative on Virtual Worlds and AI, Prof. Paola Cecchi Dimeglio, Harvard University, Roland van der Heijden, Program Chief Citiversy file, Manager Digital City, City of Rotterdam and Dr. Christina Yan Zhang, CEO, The Metaverse Institute.

Each speaker brought a distinct perspective, from governance and ethics to inclusivity, innovation, and practical implementation, yet all converged on one essential truth at the end:

People. People. People.

That triple reminder became the session’s closing message: a clear appeal to mayors and local and regional governments (LRGs) never to forget that AI is a tool to create better lives for people, not to replace them.

Discussions also highlighted the urgent need for accountability, transparency, and trust in the deployment of AI and virtual technologies. As these systems evolve, panelists emphasized the importance of data protection and privacy, warning that the more AI develops, the more precious clean water and energy will become — resources that power both our digital and physical worlds.

Finally, participants underscored that collaboration, rather than competition, across sectors will be key to avoiding costly, fragmented, and inefficient projects. Cities must embrace shared governance models and open dialogue between public and private actors to ensure that innovation remains inclusive and sustainable.

Special thanks were extended to our dear partners at ITU, whose support and vision made this discussion possible.

As cities continue to explore the potential of the Citiverse, this session was a timely reminder that technology must always serve humanity, not the other way around. It also highlighted that the United Nations (ITU and other competent agencies) are valuable partners to all actors in Citiverse to push further the agenda, and to continue thinking, namely in Geneva, next July around the Global Dialogue on AI Governance to be held back to back to the 2026 AI for Good Summit in Geneva.  The Global Cities Hub is excited to participate actively in the dialogue on the Citiverse, mobilizing Mayors and partners from all over the world.

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