Convergence of Artificial Intelligence and Smart City: Ethical Perspective : Case Study of Helsingborg City Artificial Intelligent application for temperature detection

Abstract: Convergence of novel technologies with smart cities is evolving now. Specifically Artificial Intelligence (AI) by means of sensors and cameras is used to make sense of city data for multiple purposes. Recent COVID-19 pandemic has shown that cities worldwide try to use AI technology for assisting in decision making and see the impact of certain socio-economic measures of city authorities in connection to pandemic. This thesis is a Qualitative study of a Helsingborg city AI application project for temperature detection by means of thermal sensors located on Helsingborg, Sweden central station for anonymous measuring of people temperature. Specifically, this study aims to understand how aware are project team members of the ethical considerations in connection to AI application for health detection in smart city of Helsingborg, related decision making and how they perceive it.   Data was gathered by means of Qualitative interviews which were hold online. This study has shown that convergence of AI and a smart city raises important ethical questions and perceived by some respondents as possibility to change the attitude towards privacy if connected to crisis events such as pandemics. The case study shows that in the researched AI project project team members considered ethics in connection to AI in terms of technology, legal issues, open collaboration and open data sharing with citizens. At the same time this project is willing to challenge existing norms and drive forward the development of ethics in connection to AI usage in a smart city.