SmartCitiesWorld Podcast

In the second part of this two-part special, SmartCitiesWorld’s Luke Antoniou and Professor Jung Hoon Lee move from frameworks to real-world impact – examining where AI is already changing how cities work, and what that means for citizens and city leaders.

Building on part one’s exploration of the Global Smart City Index and the emerging “AI super gap”, this episode focuses on tangible outcomes. Professor Lee shares case studies from Singapore, where AI, acoustic sensors and digital twins are cutting water losses and inspection times, and LA County, where cross-sector data and predictive models are being used to identify and support people at high risk of homelessness.

The conversation looks at how AI is being embedded in urban services, with a particular focus on mobility – from autonomous shuttles and real-time, multimodal journey planning to AI-optimised intersections in Incheon. Luke and Professor Lee discuss how these examples demonstrate the shift from reactive dashboards to proactive, AI-enabled operations.

They also unpack what it takes to integrate AI with legacy city systems via platforms and “intelligent layers”, why AI-ready data is different from traditional open data, and how questions of data sovereignty, interoperability, and vendor lock-in are reshaping city-platform strategies.

Finally, the episode turns to governance and trust: from Amsterdam’s urban algorithm register to the role of living labs and test beds in turning pilots into scalable programmes. Professor Lee closes with three key priorities for city leaders as they guide the transition from smart city to AI city.

In this first part of a two-part special, SmartCitiesWorld’s Luke Antoniou sits down in London with Professor Jung Hoon Lee of Yonsei University, lead author of the Global Smart City Index. They unpack how the index works,  the  growing “AI super gap” between leading and lagging cities, and how investment is shifting from flashy apps to deep data, infrastructure, and city platforms. The discussion explores the rise of agentic and physical AI, what it means for cities to be truly AI-ready, and how urban leaders should be thinking about their next phase of digital transformation.

In this final episode of Cities Thriving on Lighting mini-series, host Luke Antoniou is joined by Valentina Taddeo, Marketing & Communication Leader and Strategic Relationship Coordinator, and Fabio Mauri, Head of Technology Operations and Cyber Security at Paradox Engineering.

Building on the first two episodes, this conversation moves from theory to real-world deployments. Valentina shares insights from recent projects in Europe and Southeast Asia, including how cities in Spain and Cambodia are approaching modernisation in different ways, while aiming for similar outcomes in terms of energy efficiency, citizen engagement, and urban innovation.

The episode also tackles a critical question: what happens when you connect something as widespread as public lighting to an IoT network? Fabio outlines the cybersecurity risks and explains how cities can reduce their exposure through the right combination of technology, processes, and people.

Finally, the guests offer practical guidance for city leaders and their partners, condensing their experience into three essential principles for future-ready smart lighting: security, reliability, and simplicity.

If you’re interested in how smart lighting can become a foundation for smarter, more resilient cities, and what it really takes to get there, this episode offers grounded, practitioner-led perspectives you won’t want to miss.

In this episode of Cities Thriving on Lighting, produced in partnership with Paradox Engineering, host Luke Antoniou moves from theory to practice, exploring how cities actually make smart lighting work on the ground – and keep it working for decades.

Luke is joined by Julia Arneri Borghese, CEO at Paradox Engineering, and Matteo Semmoloni, Head of Solution Design, to unpack what it really takes to turn existing streetlight infrastructure into a flexible, future-ready urban platform.

Together, they discuss how cities can:

Start with street lighting as a first step on their smart city journey

Build in simplicity by design so teams don’t get overwhelmed by complex technology

Rely on open standards and interoperability to avoid vendor lock-in and keep options open

Lay the groundwork for new services and applications that may not even exist yet.

The conversation also touches on cybersecurity and resilience – how to protect devices, data and networks from day one – plus the often-overlooked implementation challenges around skills, integration, procurement, and onboarding multiple stakeholders.

Rather than a technical deep dive, this episode offers a clear, practical perspective on how cities can de-risk smart lighting investments, stay agile as needs evolve, and ensure technology remains an enabler, not a burden.

Listen in to hear how standards, simplicity, and security come together to help cities build lighting networks that are ready for whatever the future brings.

To find out more, take a look at SmartCitiesWorld's latest smart lighting report – The next generation of lighting for smart cities.

In the first episode of the Cities Thriving on Lighting mini-series, SmartCitiesWorld’s Luke Antoniou is joined by Julia Arneri-Borghese, CEO at Paradox Engineering, and Carlo Bernocco, who leads product portfolio, customer success, and business development at the company. Together, they unpack how city lighting has evolved from a basic utility into a strategic platform for smarter, safer, and more sustainable urban environments.

The conversation begins with the shift from traditional streetlighting to LED, exploring why that transition marked a key moment in the digital transformation of public lighting. Carlo then broadens the lens, explaining how public lighting is one of the most visible and widely distributed infrastructures in any city.

A major theme is interoperability and open standards. The guests explain why decisions made today must withstand several decades of technological change, and how standards-based, open solutions help cities avoid vendor lock-in, reduce long-term costs, and stay flexible as needs evolve.

Real-world examples from Gijón (Spain), Las Condes (Chile), and Chiasso (Switzerland) illustrate how cities are already using smart lighting networks as a backbone for additional services and dynamic, citizen-centric experiences.

This episode sets the foundation for the series, offering city leaders and practitioners a clear understanding of where smart lighting has come from, what it enables today, and why it remains one of the most powerful entry points into the smart city journey.