The dream project for India to have smarter cities is becoming a reality now. Rs 98,000 crores are sanctioned by the government for development of smart cities in India. The projects have gained momentum in terms of work and so have people's doubts and inhibitions. People want to understand the models and how compatible these cities would be with their current lifestyles and, most importantly, how safe they will be.

The smart cities mission is all about intelligent safety solutions for India's citizens. The major focus of these projects would be on children, women, and senior citizens. The biggest tool that is all set to be used in making these smart and safe cities is AI and assisted technologies. 

Artificial intelligence helps cities respond faster with more accuracy and improves authorities' decision-making capabilities.

How will AI play a significant role in making cities smarter and safer at the same time? 

• Crime Prevention
• Mob control
• Fire response
• Traffic control
• Detection and Recognition of Anti Social Activities
• Safety of citizens
• Safer Transportation 

There are many ways smart cities can be secured with the use of AI and IoT:

• Video analytics - Surveillance camera footage can be used to monitor and assess situations in real-time for any suspicious activities in public places or even transport. AI can effectively resolve the many loopholes that police have been facing one of them being blind spots in the cities’ video surveillance. Pattern recognition and data analytics can help police in better investigations and other related activities.
• Crowd monitoring - Sensors to analyze dense crowds for potential threats or sudden movement or even for traffic congestion can make remedial actions quicker. For instance, in case of an emergency, rescue services can more effectively screen and monitor crowd or traffic congestion, thereby also boosting incident response times.
• Smarter scanning - With the help of different types of IoT sensors, unsafe, harmful, prohibited, or unfit objects can be scanned and identified with improved precision. AI algorithms can be run at the back end to check for such items at public places, restricted zones, schools, hospitals, etc.
• Access control - Sensor-enabled security and RFID at entry gateways of restricted entry zones. One real-world usage happened during the 2018 FIFA World Cup when RFID enabled tickets helped check tickets without jeopardizing security. 
• Security drones/robots - Along with physical police patrolling robots and drones can be used for monitoring in far away, isolated or deserted areas. This would require cutting-edge sensors and cameras for precision.

As per NITI Aayog, National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence paper- 

"In the city of Surat, the crime rate has declined by 27% after the implementation of AI-powered safety systems." 

"Accenture worked with the Singapore Government during their SG50 Celebrations (50th anniversary of Singapore' independence), and developed solution aimed at predicting crowd behaviour and potential responses to incidents. The solution resulted in 85% accuracy in high crowd activity, crowd size estimation and object detection. Closer home, the "Kumbh Mela Experiment" is aimed at predicting crowd behaviour and the possibility of a stampede."

Few More areas where the power of AI can be leveraged in enhancing securities of our smart cities are:

• Facial recognition and matching alert 
• Automatic vehicle number plate recognition
• Integrated street lighting system
• Centralized command centres for emergency response 
• No Parking detection

It is also important to remember that data would be the utmost precious entity for AI-enabled cities, and hence the possibility of cyber threats and data security issues cannot be ignored. Privacy of unprotected devices connected to the city's internet or physical threats to connected systems are few areas of concern. Any loophole in the security policy or control mechanisms in smart cities can have severe consequences. Hence, a robust security system to challenge test issues must be kept ready as a plan B.

However, these issues will not bog down the high spirits of authorities developing these smart cities. People's emotions and expectations are already associated with these projects.

The world is under pressure to combat the increasing terror attacks, and police and related services face challenges dealing with them at the ground level. With the world getting modern technologically, the anti-social elements are getting more efficient in equipping new technologies as their tools. It's high time the safety and security measures take a leap and make a lead against the odds. 

The human race is progressing towards achieving things that could provide safety, security, self-fulfilment, and ultimately happiness. Hence we mustn't lose the crux of it during the course. We need a convenient and friendly environment where people will walk, shop, travel, or say live happy and unworried.