The development of the city’s digital infrastructure is one of Moscow’s priorities

The business session “Digital Transformation of Cities: Prospects for the Implementation of Artificial Intelligence in Municipal Processes and Procedures Management” was held at the Russian House in Davos as part of the 49th World Economic Forum.

Minister of the Moscow Government, Head of the Department of External Economic and International Relations Sergey Cheremin was a speaker at the session, presenting Moscow’s unique experience in implementing information technology in the sphere of urban management.

“A smart city is human capital, plus the digitalization of all areas of municipal activity and all spheres of the city economy. Without digital technology, the use of artificial intelligence, the ability to analyze large amounts of data, it is impossible to manage big cities these days, or even talk about developing infrastructure, transport, healthcare, education, and the social sector,” the minister said.

Sergey Cheremin also pointed out that last year, the UN placed Moscow in first place in the world in terms introducing information technologies into the urban environment. The WEGO organization also included Moscow on its list of information technology leaders, and PWC put Moscow in the top five megacities ready to implement the most high-tech solutions in the municipal economy.

“The city is investing a lot of funds into the development of our transport infrastructure. First and foremost, this concerns public transportation and its digitalization. Without even realizing it, you’re using high-speed Wi-Fi in the metro. 10 years ago, even futurologists would not have dreamed of this. Or the fact that Moscow trams and buses will have Wi-Fi, navigation systems, that transport flows will be analyzed in order to make adjustments – to figure out where to open a new lane for public transportation, or where to build new metro stations,” the Head of the Department of External Economic and International Relations said.

The minister pointed out that the establishment of the city’s digital infrastructure as a single interface to ensure the manageability of all urban processes has been one of the key priorities for the development of the Russian capital since 2011. This approach is dictated by modern economic conditions – the capital needs to remain competitive and attract investors. Moscow is the locomotive of the Russian economy, accounting for about 26% of Russia’s GDP. “In 2010, the share of oil and gas revenues and the share of resource enterprises in Moscow was about 35%. Today, it is less than 5%. What have we replaced these enterprises with? Service, high-tech industries, research and development – there has been a high sales growth rate in this sphere in Moscow. I am sure that the share in both the GDP and in the intellectual property economy will grow exponentially,” the minister said.

President of the US-Russia Business Council Daniel Russell, Chairman of the Skolkovo Foundation Arkady Dvorkovich, Advisor to the Prime Minister for Economic Affairs of the State of Qatar Ali Al Thani, and founder of the Bernaskoni Architecture Bureau Boris Bernasconi also took part in the business session. The session was moderated by Alexander Ivlev, managing partner of EY in Russia.

A Moscow government event – the Prize for International Cooperation and Development of Foreign Economic Activities, which was founded by the State Unitary Enterprise Moscow Center for International Cooperation, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation and the publishing house Kommersant – occupied a special place in the Russian house cultural program in Davos. The prize is being awarded for the second time. The first ceremony took place during the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum on May 23, 2018.

The prize is awarded to representatives of Russian and foreign business circles who actively work to achieve overall business success, to stimulate and support sustainable foreign economic relations in Russia.