Define the field
Define the 2–3 year agentic AI agenda for cities by identifying the most important questions for strategic planning. Translate developments in global and national agentic AI governance to the city level.
Explore the Horizon Scan →The Agentic City is an applied research initiative supporting municipalities in defining, designing, and delivering responsible AI strategy and innovation — AI that is secure, accountable, fair, and effective.
Based at Cornell Tech's Urban Tech Hub in New York City, The Agentic City bridges the gap between high-level AI governance vision and on-the-ground municipal implementation. We help cities envision, specify, and build capabilities to address strategic AI opportunities and challenges on the horizon.
Responsible AI means AI that is Secure, Accountable, Fair, and Effective (SAFE). Our work translates developments in global and national agentic AI governance to identify topics for collaborative inquiry, prototyping, and standards development at the city level.
We position ourselves in the critical space between global AI governance frameworks and the practical realities of municipal innovation — leveraging university expertise, engineering faculty, and students to support experimentation by participating cities.
We are inspired by the thought leadership of The Agentic State, a global action platform helping public leaders use agentic AI for responsible innovation. (Read the white paper)
Our mission for 2026-7 is to lay the groundwork for cities to act strategically on agentic AI through four primary workstreams.
Define the 2–3 year agentic AI agenda for cities by identifying the most important questions for strategic planning. Translate developments in global and national agentic AI governance to the city level.
Explore the Horizon Scan →Leverage university expertise and resources to define and support prototyping and pilots by participating cities — turning promising ideas into working demonstrations.
Define the frameworks, standards, and accountability mechanisms that must be in place to support responsible deployment of urban AI over the 2–3 year horizon.
Identify potential pathways from early experiments toward robust, extensible frameworks — turning isolated successes into scalable municipal capability.
Whether you're a city official exploring AI strategy, a researcher studying urban technology, or an industry partner building solutions — we want to hear from you.