AI Helps Cities Predict Infrastructure Problems Before They Escalate

Posted by Gianni Dessi

From detecting road damage to monitoring diseased trees and revitalizing vacant properties, AI is helping municipalities improve infrastructure maintenance, resource allocation, and urban planning.

Dublin has emerged as one of Ireland’s leading technology centers in the past 20 years, serving as a proving ground for how AI, digital twins, and open data can work together in the real world (source: Bentley).

 

Artificial intelligence is transforming urban infrastructure management by helping municipalities identify problems, prioritize maintenance, and make better use of limited resources. At a recent AI CityXchange workshop in Dublin, approximately 80 government technology leaders from Ireland and the United Kingdom explored practical applications of AI in city management, tells Bentley.

One example comes from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, near Dublin, where nine engineers oversee approximately 500 miles of roads, 850 miles of footpaths, and 60 miles of trails. Traditional inspections required months of manual assessment. AI-powered computer vision now analyzes images captured by vehicle-mounted cameras to identify road defects, damaged footpaths, and other infrastructure problems. This approach enables engineers to prioritize repairs and move toward predictive maintenance.

AI is also supporting environmental management. Engineering consultancy Mott MacDonald used stereo cameras and machine learning to catalog more than 13,000 ash trees for Glasgow City Council. The technology helps identify diseased trees, assess potential hazards, and estimate timber availability.

In Tipperary, Ireland, AI and geospatial technology are helping authorities address vacant commercial properties. The Vacant Business Reopen Grant platform combines property locations, planning information, and nearby amenities to identify redevelopment opportunities. Generative AI assists with reports and business proposals. More than 320 properties have been mapped.

A common element across these applications is geolocation, which connects infrastructure assets with relevant datasets. Emerging technologies such as Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Agent2Agent (A2A) could further simplify information sharing between AI systems and municipal applications.

Bentley Systems also highlights its Blyncsy platform, which uses AI to analyze anonymized dashboard-camera imagery for road monitoring.

However, increasing AI adoption raises questions about accountability, privacy, and governance. Municipalities must establish clear responsibilities as AI agents become more involved in operational decisions.

Ultimately, AI offers cities a practical way to improve infrastructure management, anticipate problems, and allocate resources more effectively.

Gianni Dessi
Gianni Dessì is a software consultant and the owner of CAD3D.it. The available professional profile describes his work as software consulting and identifies him with the CAD3D.it organization. The portal’s author information further describes Dessì as its administrator and editorial coordinator, indicating that his responsibilities include overseeing the site and coordinating its editorial activity. His connection to CAD3D.it is supported both by the professional profile and by the organization’s own author page. The search results do not provide details about the specific software products or industries he advises, his earlier positions, or the length of his career, so those details cannot be reliably stated. His professional identity is best described as a software consultant and owner of CAD3D.it, with an administrative and editorial coordination role at the portal. His appearance as a contributor elsewhere should not be treated as his primary occupation.