Communities across the UK feel that artificial intelligence (AI) is being built around them, not for them, says a major new report led by the University of Warwick and Careful Industries.
The introduction of AI in public spaces, such as in traffic lights, lampposts, autonomous cars and 'smart' road surfaces, is framed around efficiency savings and providing better services, but the public are questioning the extent to which the technology makes things better for them.
Professor Noortje Marres, Professor of Science, Technology and Society at the University of Warwick, and lead on the report said: "AI is increasingly embedded in everyday life - from the street to public services - yet most people feel it's happening to them, not with them. This report shows that if AI is to earn public trust, it must be made visible, discussed openly, and designed with communities, not just for them."
The report, AI in the Street: Lessons from everyday encounters with AI innovation, explores how people experience AI in everyday urban life. It presents findings from five "AI in the Street" observatories in cities across the UK and Australia, where residents were invited to identify and discuss the presence of AI technologies in their surroundings - from smart billboards and sensors to autonomous vehicles and drone delivery zones.
Many of the people were interested in what AI is used for in the street but also saw AI in the street as designed primarily not for people but to make technology work better or to serve national and global stakeholders, rather than deliver tangible benefits for people where they live. AI systems were experienced as "invisible" yet intrusive.
However, researchers observed that when residents were invited to actively spot and discuss AI in their streets, they became more curious, confident, and vocal about what it should do. The project demonstrates that public participation is crucial for building trust and ensuring AI serves local needs.
For example, in Logan, Australia, participants in the drone delivery trial observed that this service could be used to deliver, not just for food and grocery deliveries by supermarkets, but a new kind of "meals on wheels" for the elderly in the community. While in Coventry, residents identified quieter streets and less pollution as something that live traffic monitoring could be used for.
Rachel Coldicutt, founder of Careful Industries, added: "There's a clear gap between how government and industry talk about AI and how people actually experience it. Giving communities a say in how these technologies are introduced isn't just fairer - it's essential if AI is to deliver real public value."
Key perceived mismatches that the research identified between national AI policy and community experience include:
- Purpose: AI is often deployed to improve efficiency, but not to meet local needs.
- Beneficiaries: People rarely see themselves as the recipients of AI innovation.
- Need: AI solutions don't always address the most pressing issues for communities.
The findings suggest that for AI to genuinely benefit communities, the UK government's AI policy should expand to include a cross-departmental social and wellbeing strategy. This would empower local and regional governments to deliver change in place, supported by greater transparency on AI Growth Zones, the creation of everyday AI Observatories across the UK, and a participatory approach to innovation policy design.
AI in the Street calls for a future where communities are not just observers, with AI imposed from above, but active participants in shaping AI innovation, ensuring that technologies designed to transform urban life actually deliver benefits where they are needed most.
Read the full report: AI in the Street: Lessons from everyday encounters with AI innovation
