The Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat), represented by researcher Rawana Al Dajani, presented a research paper at the 16th Gulf Research Meeting (GRM), held at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and organized by the Gulf Research Center.

Titled “To What Extent Do AI-Enabled Smart City Applications Contribute to Informed and Adaptive Urban Planning in Bahrain?”, the paper was presented during the fifth workshop titled “Rational Agency and Uncertain Futures: AI’s Role in the Gulf Region.”

The study examines how AI-enabled smart city applications contribute to urban planning in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and assesses their role in supporting more informed and adaptive decision-making. Drawing on interviews with key stakeholders, it reviews existing AI applications, the opportunities they offer to strengthen urban governance, and the institutional, technical and ethical challenges that need to be addressed to ensure their effective implementation.