ABSTRACT
The urbanization process and migration of labour from rural areas at a fast pace is making the application of artificial intelligence (AI) inevitable for the economies, especially the emerging economies. Today, when we look at the cities, we find them to be sitting on a plethora of data, which are produced through usage of Internet of Things (IoT), sensors, smart meters, telecommunication devices, traffic management systems, installed cameras etc., despite posing ample challenges and creating various opportunities. This chapter strives to understand the status of smart cities in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) as BRICS nations are considered to be doing a lot on this front and they are facing challenges in terms of implementation of the same. This chapter suggests that the inclusivity of the citizens in the AI based smart cities will not only play a requisite part in the evolution of smart cities in an effective manner but also contribute towards the growth of BRICS economies on a whole.
