BCG's Intelligent Cities Index 2026

BCG's inaugural Intelligent Cities Index (ICI) ranks 61 major cities on AI and digital technology maturity across five domains: outcomes, strategy, adoption, ways of working, and enablers. London, Dubai, New York City, Washington, and Amsterdam lead the index, though no single city tops every domain. Cities embedding AI into core public services are delivering measurably better resident outcomes, with leading AI adopters—roughly one-third of the 61 cities—reporting higher use-case counts and quality-of-life scores. A virtuous cycle emerges where resident AI usage drives satisfaction, which in turn creates political and operational space for deeper deployment. Balance between hard enablers (data, infrastructure, technology) and soft enablers (talent, venture capital, foreign direct investment) distinguishes the most mature cities, with 37 of 61 cities achieving that balance. Strong entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems correlate with top economic outcomes among leading cities, underscoring that technology infrastructure alone is insufficient without aligned funding and talent development.