Forum on AI and Citiverse: Building the foundations for interoperable and scalable urban innovation
Introduction
The Forum on AI and Citiverse: Building the foundations for interoperable and scalable urban innovation, co-organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and the City of Tampere, will take place on 9–10 September 2026 in Tampere, Finland. The Forum is kindly hosted by the City of Tampere. Bringing together representatives from cities, governments, industry, academia, standards development organizations, and international organizations, the Forum will explore emerging trends, opportunities, and challenges in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for smart sustainable cities and communities. Participants will exchange experiences, best practices, and real-world use cases, while discussing interoperability requirements, governance approaches, and enabling frameworks needed to support scalable and inclusive AI deployment in urban environments. The Forum will also serve as a platform to introduce the newly established ITU-T Focus Group on AI for Smart Sustainable Cities and Communities (FG-AI4SSC) and encourage broad stakeholder engagement in shaping future standards and collaborative initiatives in this field.
The Forum will be held in English.
Participation
Participation in the Forum and the Focus Group Meeting is open to ITU Member States, Sector Members, Associates and Academic Institutions and to any individual from a country that is a member of ITU and who wishes to contribute to the work. This includes individuals who are also members of international, regional, and national organizations.
The Forum will be followed by the first meeting of the ITU-T Focus Group on AI for Smart Sustainable Cities and Communities (FG-AI4SSC), which will take place 10-11 September 2026 at the same venue. See TSB Circular 147 for details.
Deadline for visa support letters: 1 August 2026 (Please submit the visa request form to Elias Reinikainen and Minna Merikoski).
Co-organizers
General Information:
Venue: Room Soprano, Tampere Hall (Yliopistonkatu 55, 33100 Tampere, Finland)
Contact:
tsbfgai4ssc@itu.int
Programme (Tampere Time)
Day 1: Building the Foundations (Wednesday, 9 September 2026)
09:00–09:30 | Opening ceremony
- Jaakko Mustakallio, Deputy Mayor, City of Tampere, Finland
- Seizo Onoe, Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU
- Hyoung Jun Kim, Chair, ITU-T Study Group 20 “Internet of Things, digital twins and smart sustainable cities and communities”
- Aline Machado da Matta, Head of the Geneva Office and Head of the UN Innovation Technology Accelerator for Cities, UN-Habitat
- H.E. Ms Anna-Kaisa Ikonen, Minister of Local and Regional Government, Finland
09:30–10:00 | Opening Keynote: From Smart Cities to the AI-enabled Citiverse: Tampere’s Journey
The City of Tampere will present its journey towards an AI-enabled citiverse where digital twins, interoperable urban data, AI and immersive technologies connect physical and digital environments. The keynote will highlight practical initiatives, lessons learned and a vision for creating more resilient, efficient and people-centred cities.
- Teppo Rantanen, Senior Advisor, Business Tampere and Vice Chair of the Steering Committee of the Discovering the Citiverse – Global Initiative on AI, Digital Twins and Virtual Worlds
10:00–10:30 | Inspirational Keynote: Leading the Next Generation of AI Cities: Korea’s Urban Innovation in Action
Drawing on the experience of Anyang, this keynote will explore how cities in the Republic of Korea are harnessing AI and digital innovation to improve public services, strengthen urban management and enhance quality of life. It will highlight practical lessons, leadership priorities and a forward-looking vision for building trusted, responsive and people-centred AI cities.
- Dae-ho Choi, Mayor, City of Anyang, Republic of Korea
10:30–11:00 | Coffee break
11:00–12:30 | Session 1: The Next Wave of Urban AI: Generative AI, Agentic AI, Spatial Intelligence and Beyond
Artificial intelligence is entering a new era, reshaping how cities are planned, managed and experienced. This session will explore the latest advances in generative AI, agentic AI, physical AI, spatial intelligence, digital twins and intelligent urban systems, examining both the opportunities they create and the technical, organizational and societal challenges they present. Discussions will focus on how these technologies are transforming urban planning, infrastructure, mobility, public services and decision-making.
Moderator:
- Sophia Nahoza, Engineer, Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA)
Speakers:
- Ramy Ahmed Fathy, Co-Chair, FG-AI4SSC and Vice-Chair, ITU-T Study Group 20
- Sanni Pöntinen, Director, strategy and management, GPT-Lab of the Tampere University
- Bamidele Adebisi, Professor of Intelligent Infrastructure Systems, Manchester Metropolitan University
12:30–14:00 | Lunch break
14:00-15:00 | Session 2: Guiding Principles and Frameworks for People-Centred Smart Cities in the AI Era
As AI reshapes how cities are planned, governed and experienced, putting people at the centre is no longer optional, it is essential. This session will explore the principles and frameworks needed to ensure that smart city transformation advances inclusion, accessibility, equity, trust and human well-being. It will examine how cities can translate these values into practical strategies, policies and tools that improve quality of life, strengthen resilience and create sustainable futures that work for everyone.
The session will also serve as a global consultation to inform the development of the U4SSC Toolbox on Guiding Principles and Frameworks for People-Centred Smart Cities in the AI Era, an activity being carried out under Working Group 8 of the United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) initiative, co-led by ITU and UN-Habitat. Participants will have the opportunity to share perspectives, identify priorities and contribute directly to shaping this practical resource for cities worldwide.
Moderator:
- Aline Machado da Matta, Head of the Geneva Office and Head of the UN Innovation Technology Accelerator for Cities, UN-Habitat
Speakers:
- Cristina Bueti, Focal Point on Smart Sustainable Cities and AI-Enabled Citiverse, ITU
- Roberta Maio, Digital Rights and Inclusion Officer, UN-Habitat
15:00–15:30 | Coffee break
15:30–16:30 | Session 3: Making AI Work Across Cities: Interoperability, Standards and Trust
As AI becomes embedded within urban systems, interoperability and international standards are essential to ensure trust, scalability and long-term sustainability. This session will explore how standards establish common terminology, reference architectures, governance frameworks, assessment methodologies and interoperability mechanisms that enable cities to deploy AI consistently across sectors. Speakers will discuss how standards reduce fragmentation, strengthen trust and accelerate innovation.
Moderator:
- Pilar Orero, Professor, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Speakers:
- Martin Brynskov, Founding Board Director and Standardisation Lead, Open & Agile Smart Cities & Communities (OASC)
- Roland van der Heijden, Chief Citiverse Officer, City of Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Antonio Jara, Executive Board Member, Libelium
Complementary Activity Offered by the Host
16:30–17:00 | Real-World AI Applications: Tampere University GPT-Lab
Following the conclusion of the first day of the Forum, the host is pleased to offer participants an optional 30-minute presentation by Tampere University’s GPT-Lab.
Founded in 2023 at Tampere University by Prof. Pekka Abrahamsson, GPT-Lab has grown to be the largest AI research group in Finland consisting of nearly 60 researchers focused on Software Engineering and real-world AI applications. In this 30-minute session, the research group’s leadership and researchers will present current research topics and related technological solutions.The presentation will be led by Jussi Rasku, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Tampere University.
Day 2: Delivering Urban Impact (Thursday, 10 September 2026)
09:00–10:30 | Session 4: From Pilot to Citywide Impact: Scaling AI and Citiverse Innovation Through Real-world Experience
Around the world, cities are moving beyond experimentation towards operational AI systems and citiverse solutions that improve urban services, resilience and quality of life. This session brings together city leaders and researchers to explore what it takes to scale AI successfully, from governance and digital infrastructure to interoperability, organizational transformation and cross-sector collaboration. Speakers will share practical experiences, lessons learned and strategies for replicating successful AI and citiverse initiatives across cities.
Moderator:
- Marios Angelopoulos, Professor, International Hellenic University and Ministry of Digital Governance and AI, Greece
Speakers:
- Sebastian Valkama, Project Manager, City of Tampere, Finland
- Jaime Wascalus, Director & Chief Information Officer, GovAI Coalition, United States
- Yang Liu, Deputy Director, China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT)
- Gustavo Melo, Senior Account Manager, Unity and Jack Strongitharm, Senior Solutions Architect, Unity
10:30–11:00 | Coffee break
11:00–12:30 | Session 5: People First: AI for Better Cities: Human-centred, Inclusive and Sustainable Urban Innovation
The success of AI in cities will ultimately be measured by its impact on people. This session explores how AI-enabled urban innovation can be designed, governed and deployed to improve quality of life while promoting inclusion, accessibility, transparency, sustainability and public trust. Speakers will discuss approaches to human-AI collaboration, digital inclusion, participatory governance and ethical AI that place people at the centre of urban transformation.
Moderator:
- Aleksi Kopponen, Chief Specialist, Public Sector ICT, Ministry of Finance, Finland
Speakers:
- Yong Jick Lee, Rapporteur, ITU-T Q8/20 “Human-centric digital services enabled by Internet of Things and smart sustainable cities and communities related to digital health, accessibility and inclusion”
- Peter Sailer, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbHG, Germany
- Chiara Valerio, HES Scientific Collaborator, University of Applied Sciences Geneva
12:30–12:45 | Closing ceremony
- Jouni Markkanen, AI Programme Lead, City of Tampere, Finland
- Hyoung Jun Kim, Chair, ITU-T Study Group 20 “Internet of Things, digital twins and smart sustainable cities and communities”
- Aline Machado da Matta, Head of the Geneva Office and Head of the UN Innovation Technology Accelerator for Cities, UN-Habitat