Spatial Governance and Digital Infrastructures in the Age of AI: Reconfiguring Authority, Jurisdiction, and Accountability

The field of spatial governance is undergoing profound change with the rise of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI). Traditionally, public authority has been tied to physical territories and the institutions operating within them. Today, governments increasingly rely on data-driven systems, digital platforms, and algorithmic processes for decision making, reshaping the boundaries, responsibilities, and mechanisms of governance. For example, predictive policing tools, AI-driven resource allocation, and cross-border data-sharing platforms are challenging established norms of accountability, oversight, and citizen participation. These developments raise critical questions about transparency, inclusivity, and legitimacy in public administration.Evidence shows that digital and AI-mediated governance is redistributing power and redefining government action. AI-enabled decision making and shared data platforms can both improve efficiency and create new challenges, such as reinforcing existing inequalities or concentrating authority in specific agencies or regions. Research has documented cases where digital tools in urban planning, social services, or public health have led to unequal access and unintended social consequences. However, there is still limited understanding of how these technologies are reshaping core principles of governance, particularly jurisdictional authority, public accountability, and citizen trust.This Research Topic aims to explore how digital technologies and AI are transforming spatial governance, with particular attention to political and institutional impacts. We invite conceptual, theoretical, and empirical studies that examine how AI and digital systems are remapping power relations, authority, and accountability across different scales—from local municipalities to international organizations. Central questions include:• How are digital platforms and AI tools altering the boundaries of governmental authority and jurisdiction?• What new forms of political power or public authority are emerging through algorithmic decision making?• How can governments adapt transparency, oversight, and accountability mechanisms to ensure fair and inclusive governance?• What are the political consequences of uneven access to digital infrastructure and AI-enabled services?This Research Topic focuses on the political, institutional, and societal implications of AI and digital governance and does not address technical system design or purely computational studies. Contributions may include, but are not limited to, the following areas:• Use of AI and data-driven tools in public decision making and administration• Digital platforms and infrastructures that cross local, national, or international jurisdictions• Regulatory and legal challenges in cross-border data governance• Political and social consequences of digital inclusion or exclusion• Impacts of AI and digital governance on transparency, legitimacy, and public trust• Emerging models of accountability and authority in digitally mediated spaces• Comparative studies of AI and digital governance across different countries or levels of governmentBy providing concrete examples and clearly articulating the political stakes, this Research Topic seeks to advance interdisciplinary understanding of how digital technologies and AI are reshaping governance in the 21st century. Topic editors: Fatemeh Ahmadi Zeleti, Adegboyega Ojo Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79532/spatial-governance-and-digital-infrastructures-in-the-age-of-ai-reconfiguring-authority-jurisdiction-and-accountability