Imagine a city that can see itself, predicting floods before the first raindrop, rerouting garbage trucks before bins overflow, and testing emergency responses before disasters strike.
From Maroochydore to Singapore, cities around the world are building AI-powered Digital Twins, virtual replicas that model the rhythm of urban life in real time. These “city brains” can simulate millions of scenarios every second, helping planners, governments, and communities make smarter, safer, and more sustainable decisions.
But with every new sense comes new responsibility. Who owns the data that powers these models? Who decides what’s tested, and what’s ignored? And when a city starts thinking, who ensures it’s thinking ethically?
In this episode, we explore:
How digital twins help governments test infrastructure, transport, and emergency systems
The benefits and costs of smart city adoption from your local council to global megacities
Governance and data sovereignty... who controls the “brain” of a smart city?
Ethical frameworks ensuring AI-driven cities remain accountable to people, not algorithms
Because if Climate AI reads the planet’s pulse, Digital Twins test its reflexes, and how we guide them will shape the cities of tomorrow.
Season 2 of Decoded: AI for Everyone is powered by Strategen AI. Where Research Meets Execution.
Release Date: Saturday | November 1 | 2025
RESOURCES
Mentioned Frameworks & Projects:
• Digital Twin Victoria Program
• Switching on Darwin
• Maroochydore Smart City Framework
• Townsville Smart City Strategy (Draft)
• Virtual Singapore
• Helsinki 3D City / Digital Twin
• OECD AI Principles
• National AI Assurance Framework (Australia)
• UN AI for Good Lab
Referenced Research:
Leslie, J. (2025). Digital Twin Adoption in Government: Cost-Benefit Analysis and Governance of AI-Powered City Brains. Strategen AI Research Publications.
