CHINA’s tech powerhouse Shenzhen has digitized most government administrative affairs in recent years as China forges ahead with smart city developments.

Artificial Intelligence and big data have transformed the way locals interact with the government, with tech giants such as Alibaba, Tencent and Ping An Smart City spearheading the innovation.

“We want to let data do most of the heavy-lifting instead of humans,” said Wayne Hu, co-president and chief technology officer of Ping An Smart City.

His team is behind much of the city’s digital makeover, most notably the “iShenzhen” mobile app. It handles more than 8,000 government administrative affairs, from paying utility bills and traffic fines to managing housing benefits and even entering a lottery for the central bank’s digital currency.

“We believe smart city requires immense support, not just in writing the codes but also shaping how real life problems are solved,” Hu said.

Another widely used solution is Ping An’s AI-powered food regulation network, which shortens the approving period of issuing a restaurant license to no more than an hour from weeks during the off-line process.

“Applicants film their premises with our app. The video contains GPS and time stamps which allow AI to determine whether the restaurant complies with health and safety codes,” said Hu.

The Ping An Smart City system also tracks cold-chain foods from the ports they arrive in the markets where they are sold, helping to alleviate concerns that COVID-19 could spread via packaging.

At the heart of every smart city initiative is the need to become more efficient. For example, traffic lights are altered in accordance with real-time traffic conditions and cloud data helps hospitals speed up diagnosis of COVID-19 cases.

The goal is to equip cities with a “digital brain” and a “central nervous system” that integrates data across all government agencies and businesses.

The data can be used to manage industries and identify which sectors to focus on, and allocate resources to where they are most needed.

Researchers believe smart city solutions can help governments and companies save billions of dollars every year.

China is home to over 1,000 smart city projects worldwide. Much of the advancements here are amplified by 5G, which makes communication among sensors, devices, and databases almost instantaneous.

(CGTN)