Activities
MIRA's projects on AI governance are united by a common concern for the public good. In partnership with government, civic groups, and the private sector, we work to define and design "public good" into AI governance strategies at different scales, from local to international.
Cities & AI: Responsible AI Adoption
As city governments face a burgeoning constellation of possibilities with AI tools and methods, many questions arise:
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How do they make wise choices about when and where to deploy these tools?
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How do they select and obtain these tools, and how can they best use them to deliver public benefits?
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What unique points of leverage do municipalities have, to go beyond accepting "urban solutions" to shaping their creation?
We collaborate with private sector solutions providers, local governments and public agencies, and civic groups to discuss best practice and build capacity.
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Learn more about the AI & Cities initiative
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Read our white paper: AI will Transform Cities, Can Cities Transform AI?
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(In the Works) Join our forum on responsible AI adoption and strategic planning for cities
Spearheaded by the MIT Department of Urban Studies & Planning and JTL Urban Mobility Lab
Future Activities
AI & Ethics Roundtable: A monthly interdisciplinary workshop offers a friendly, non-adversarial forum for sharing hopes, concerns, and aspirations when AI tools come into play for different research efforts at MIT, including digital society and human rights; biology and biomedical engineering; urban planning and architecture; and computer science.
We will be posting our seminar schedule April and May 2026. Please write to us if you are interested in joining the seminar.
International AI Governance Tracker: We track multilateral AI governance initiatives and the work of the UN's Independent International Scientific Panel. Researchers in this initiative spark conversations with regional experts on different AI governance priorities and how policy toolkits can be adapted to different national contexts.We are developing a tracking table of multilateral AI governance initiatives to inform the UN process.