London has been named the world’s smartest city

This week, global consulting firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG) revealed its inaugural Intelligent Cities Index. And would you believe it! Our fine city of London has come out on top. 

The index isn’t about which city is better at sudoko or most likely to win a pub quiz. Rather, it focuses on how cities use stuff like AI and digital tech to serve their residents and businesses. BCG assessed 61 major cities across the world based on five main factors: resident outcomes, strategy, technology adoption, government delivery and the conditions that support innovation. 

London particularly excelled in the resident outcomes category, which covers quality of life, economic opportunities and the city’s ability to support jobs, businesses and entrepreneurship. Across all metrics, it scored a total of 85 out of 100, five points above its closest rivals Dubai, New York, Washington and Amsterdam. 

Arturs Smilkstins, managing director and partner at the group said: ‘London’s position may look surprising for a city with so much ageing infrastructure, but the ranking shows that being an intelligent city is not about having the newest physical assets. It is about how well a city uses technology, AI and digital services to make those assets work better for residents and businesses.

‘London’s strength is the breadth of its performance, from quality of life and economic opportunity to public-service adoption, government delivery and its deep innovation ecosystem.’

The report comes shortly after London mayor Sadiq Khan pledged £18m to help young Londoners enter the AI-driven job market in an effort to actively drive the city’s transition to AI rather than wait for disruption. You can check out the full index here.

ICYMI: Every London tube line ranked from dirtiest to cleanest.

Plus: London’s best borough for leafy parks has been crowned for 2026. 

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