Integrating AI Inference With IoT and Big Data for Smart City Solutions

Cities are becoming smarter by leveraging technology to tackle traffic congestion, pollution, energy use, and healthcare. Central to this shift is the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) inference, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and Big Data analytics. These technologies allow massive real-time data collection and transform it into insights that enhance urban living. This chapter examines AI inference foundations in smart city ecosystems, emphasizing its synergy with IoT networks and Big Data platforms. Sensor-rich IoT frameworks generate high-volume, high-velocity data streams, processed by scalable Big Data pipelines. Case studies in traffic optimization, energy management, environmental monitoring, and public safety show the transformative impact of AI-driven intelligence. The chapter also addresses key challenges including scalability, latency, interoperability, privacy, and ethics, while highlighting future directions such as edge intelligence, federated learning, digital twins, and self-healing urban ecosystems.