A new working paper from Khahlil Louisy examines whether AI-based urban infrastructure monitoring can address equity gaps in public health surveillance, using evidence from Boston’s 311 complaint system and AI-detected pavement data. The paper shows that complaint-based systems reflect socioeconomic patterns of civic participation, and argues that AI can complement but not replace participatory surveillance without rigorous validation and equity safeguards.

An analysis of roughly 187,000 citizen reports and nearly 5,000 computer vision detections in Jamaica Plain, MA shows why cities need both perspectives and raises critical questions about who gets heard.