Safety in the Techno-Mediated City: Insights from Bengaluru's AI-Powered CCTV Network
Abstract
Despite ample criticisms, cities are increasingly using closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, citing urban safety. How safety is evoked within such technology-laden projects is little studied. We empirically investigate the Bengaluru Safe City Project, an AI-powered surveillance system, to address this gap. We qualitatively analyze the project's key documents describing the intended purposes and technological capabilities of the surveillance system, which resulted in three themes: gendered safety, the cameras' gaze, and the needed human intervention with the system. We show how socio-politically informed priorities influence the safety notions within the surveillance system.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Smart Cities and Technologies
Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
Crime
Deviance
and Social Control
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Urban Technology
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 133–158
- Publication date
- 30 January 2026
- Language
- EN