the 4th smart cities & ai innovations symposium

About the Event

The Smart Cities and AI Innovations Symposium is a day-long event that brings together professionals from academia, industry, government, research institutes, and non-profits to explore how artificial intelligence transforms our urban environments.

Hosted in the Norman Hackerman Building Auditorium on the University of Texas at Austin's main campus, the symposium features a dynamic program with distinguished speakers from leading universities across Texas and beyond, alongside practitioners advancing smart mobility and AI applications in our cities.

This year's symposium focuses on real-world AI applications, the role of data and infrastructure, responsible leadership, and human-centered innovation in urban environments.

Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary networking, including a relationship-building lunch. The symposium is designed to foster knowledge exchange, relationship building, and collaborative problem-solving as AI technologies continue to shape urban life.

This event is organized by UT Austin researchers working on A Good System for Smart Cities, one of the core research projects of Good Systems. Good Systems is a university-wide, interdisciplinary research grand challenge focused on designing ethical AI technologies for the benefit of society. 

Agenda - Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Opening Remarks

Dr. Junfeng Jiao, Associate Professor, School of Architecture; Lead, A Good System for Smart Cities Core Research Project  (UT Austin)

[Session 1] AI in Practice for Smart Cities: Bridging Data, Infrastructure, Accessibility, and Responsible Implementation

Industry and academic leaders from UT Austin, MIT, Apple, and Palantir, moderated by Austin AI Alliance, explore how artificial intelligence is being deployed in real-world urban environments. Discussions will span the full spectrum of smart city AI — from health data infrastructure and enterprise implementation to generative AI architecture, accessibility, and decision science — with a particular focus on making these technologies accessible and effective for the public. Together, panelists will examine the opportunities and responsibilities that come with embedding AI into the fabric of modern cities.

Panel Moderated by Sean Bauld, Executive Director (Austin AI Alliance)

[Session 2] From Data to Urban Intelligence: Scholarly Perspectives on AI-Driven City Systems

Learn from faculty leading academic research at the intersection of AI, urban systems, and resilience. This panel features researchers from UT Austin, Columbia University, and the University of Oklahoma exploring how artificial intelligence is transforming the way cities collect, interpret, and act on data. Drawing on cutting-edge research, panelists will highlight the connections between urban systems and machine intelligence, offering scholarly perspectives on what it means to build truly intelligent cities. The discussion bridges theoretical frameworks with practical implications for how AI-driven systems can shape more responsive and equitable urban environments.

  •  Dr. Christian Claudel, Associate Professor, Maseeh Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering (UT Austin)

  • Dr. Gengchen Mai, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and the Environment (UT Austin)

  • Dr. Anthony Vanky, Assistant Professor (Columbia University)

  • Dr. Chengbin Deng, Director of Center for Spatial Analysis (University of Oklahoma)

 Panel Moderated by Dr. Christian Claudel

[Session 3] AI in Texas: Local Innovation, Workforce, and the Public Good

This panel unites voices from academia, non-profits, and industry to explore how artificial intelligence is being harnessed for the benefit of Texans and communities across the state. Panelists bring specialized expertise in public interest technology, strategic procurement and governance, workforce and leadership development, and intelligent transportation systems, offering a grounded perspective on what responsible local AI innovation looks like in practice. Together, they will examine how Texas can lead in ensuring that AI adoption serves not just economic growth, but the broader public good.

  • Dr. Monique Reeves, Executive Vice Chancellor for the Future (Austin Community College)

  • Emily Binet Royall, Assistant Director (Partners for Public Good)

  • Zen Van Loan, VP of Workforce Development (Austin AI Alliance)

  • Kenneth Perrine, Transportation Technology Researcher, Center for Transportation Research (UT Austin)

 Panel Moderated by Dr. Fatma Tarlaci, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science (UT Austin)

[Session 4] Next Generation Urban AI: Lightning Talks by Emerging Scholars

Learn from emerging scholars at UT Austin—including postdocs, doctoral candidates, and graduate students—presenting innovative research on machine learning for transportation systems, urban informatics, GeoAI, and accountability, transparency, and explainability in large language models. Next -generation researchers will share early-stage findings and methodological advances that point toward the future of Urban AI.

  • Dr. Yiming Xu, Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Architecture (UT Austin)

  • Md Enayet Chowdhury, PhD Student, Maseeh Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering (UT Austin)

  • Xihan Yao, PhD Student, Department of Geography and the Environment (UT Austin)

  • Koutian Wu, PhD Student, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (UT Austin)

 Q&A Moderated by Dr. Kijin Seong, Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Architecture  (UT Austin)