A number of countries in ASEAN are trying to create smart cities or smart cities that rely on technology. This concept seems promising, but difficult to implement according to experts.
Although smart cities are synonymous with technology, some experts at the ASEAN-Japan Conference The 9th Science and Technology in Society (STS) discussion forum stated that this concept is more than just technology. The state also pays attention to several other things.
Budi Prawara, Head of the Electronic and Informatics Research Organization (OREI) of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), said that the concept of a smart city must adapt to social and cultural conditions. That way, smart cities can be an innovative solution.
"Every technological solution must be contextual, understanding cultural diversity, social habits, and people's mobility preferences. That's why interdisciplinary research is so important," Budi said, quoted on Saturday, July 26.
Budi explained that collaboration is also important in creating this concept. The reason is, Indonesia has a diverse culture with a total of more than 700 types. To make a smart city a success, the government needs to involve cross-disciplinary experts.
There are several countries that have successfully implemented technology into the services of their cities, one of which is Thailand.
Executive Director of NSTDA Thailand's Nanotech Urachan Tananchai said that they had succeeded in implementing an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based platform.
This AI platform is integrated with chatbots to serve public complaints in Bangkok.
Thanks to this platform, the government can handle public complaints quickly. In fact, it previously took up to three months.
"Previously, the government's response to public complaints could take up to three months. With AI assistance, it can now be handled within an hour," said Urachan.
The initiative has been expanded to more than 30 other cities in Thailand. In addition to the use of AI, nanotechnology is also implemented to address environmental problems.
One of them is testing the quality of water in remote areas using nano sensors.
"Technology must be used to empower communities, and transparent communication is the key so that people feel safe and believe in innovation," added Urachan.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Rana Maheswari Ummairah & Ferdinan
Quelle/Source: VOI, 26.07.2025
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