Robots at Work: Who Wins, Who Loses in the AI City

The intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and urban labor markets is rapidly redefining the fabric of city economies and everyday working life. With automation technologies now powering everything from logistics and healthcare to public services and hospitality, cities have become critical arenas for both the promise and potential peril of digital transformation. The diffusion of autonomous systems, algorithmic management, and smart infrastructure is reshaping labor demand, fueling debates about worker displacement, job quality, and the future of employment in urban settings. Recent studies highlight both unprecedented gains in productivity and efficiency, as well as deepening disparities in job security and the risk of technological exclusion. While emerging fields in AI oversight, robotics maintenance, and data governance offer new employment pathways, persistent knowledge gaps remain concerning who benefits and who is left behind, especially as cities strive for sustainable and inclusive development.This Research Topic aims to critically investigate how the integration of AI and robotics is transforming urban labor markets and, by extension, the broader socio-economic and environmental trajectories of cities. The focus is on examining both the displacement of traditional work and the creation of digitally mediated roles, while probing the distribution of automation’s benefits and risks. By interrogating the political, institutional, and governance dimensions of urban automation, this Research Topic seeks to surface key questions: How do automation and digitalization reshape inequalities across class, gender, and geography? What institutional responses and policy frameworks can cities deploy to manage disruption, ensure decent work, promote just transitions, and align technological innovation with sustainability and inclusion? The objective is to foster a nuanced debate that moves beyond technocratic or reductionist perspectives, recognizing the contested power dynamics and social consequences of urban automation.The scope of this Research Topic encompasses empirical, theoretical, and policy-focused research that foregrounds the political economy and critical urban dynamics of AI-driven transformation. Submissions should engage not only with how automation shapes and is shaped by workplace structures but also the broader governance and sustainability implications for cities. Articles may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:• Patterns of automation exposure and risk across urban sectors and worker groups• The emergence and quality of new forms of work in AI-enabled cities• Governance, policy, and regulatory responses to AI and robotics in urban labor markets• Labor precarity, inequality, and the socio-demographic impacts of automation• Workforce reskilling, upskilling, and adaptive strategies for urban workers• Social protection and labor regulation in algorithmically mediated and platform economies• The implications of urban automation for sustainability, environmental justice, and resource allocation• Critical perspectives on power, agency, and decision-making in the deployment of urban automationThis Research Topic welcomes interdisciplinary and methodologically diverse submissions from fields such as urban studies, labor economics, robotics, sociology, AI, political science, public policy, and sustainability science. Priority will be given to contributions that critically address the political and institutional dynamics of urban automation, as well as regional perspectives from both the Global North and Global South. Suitable manuscript types include original research articles, policy analyses, reviews, and perspectives. Topic editors: Toqeer Ali, Sohail Khan Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80021/robots-at-work-who-wins-who-loses-in-the-ai-city