Artificial Intelligence Applications in Smart Cities: Integrating Communication, Energy Management, Cybersecurity and Internet of Things

ABSTRACT Smart cities represent transformative urban ecosystems, leveraging advanced technologies to address challenges posed by rapid urbanisation, energy efficiency demands, and sustainability goals. Despite extensive research, a comprehensive and integrated literature analysis combining AI‐based communication, energy management, cybersecurity, and IoT for smart city applications remains limited, which motivates this study. So, this study provides a comprehensive appraisal of critical enablers, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning (ML), and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), in shaping the next generation of smart cities. Special emphasis is placed on the role of 5G and emerging 6G communication paradigms in enabling real‐time data exchange and seamless IoT integration. Furthermore, the paper explores the significance of advanced energy management systems in optimising resource allocation and mitigating environmental impacts. Cybersecurity, a cornerstone of resilient smart city frameworks, is examined in‐depth, highlighting strategies to safeguard interconnected infrastructures against potential threats. Through an extensive review of state‐of‐the‐art methodologies, this paper identifies existing research gaps and presents actionable recommendations to overcome challenges in the smart city domain. The insights provided aim to propel future innovations, fostering sustainable, secure, and intelligent urban environments.