Bogota Will Have Artificial Intelligence

For now it is a trial, but, if it produces results, it could mark the beginning of a new era in the security of Bogota. The mayor’s office of the Colombian capital has launched a smart lighting pilot project with cameras, sensors, artificial intelligence and connectivity to detect risk situations and speed up the response of the authorities.

The initiative seeks to take advantage of infrastructure that is already installed in a large part of the city to turn it into a technological network capable of collecting information, analyzing it and generating alerts. For now, the test is being carried out at Calle 85 and Carrera 15, in the north of the city, and is part of Bogota’s public lighting modernization strategy.

The capital’s mayor’s office reported about the pilot that the technology being used can analyze what happens around the pole and generate alerts in response to previously configured situations. That information can be sent to monitoring centers to support the reaction of the authorities.

One of the developments that draws the most attention in this initiative is that the technological approach seeks to ensure that the detection of an incident that threatens security does not depend exclusively on a person calling the authorities.

If the system identifies that a situation matches the established parameters, it can generate an alert to be analyzed at the monitoring centers.

Another striking aspect is the possibility of using the cameras for license plate recognition, facial matching and detection of certain patterns or risk situations. During the demonstration of the system, an attempted theft was simulated and the platform showed how it could generate an alert, activate nearby cameras and identify the nearest available Police patrol.

The test includes panic buttons so that, when pressed by citizens, they activate nearby cameras, focus on the emergency point and transmit the information to the monitoring center. Thus, the pole will be more than a lighting element, becoming a connected guardian within a surveillance, communication and response network.

Attracting investment and employment

For the District Treasury Secretariat, the implementation of a smart public lighting system would provide several economic benefits to Bogota, making it more attractive for businesses.

Among these benefits, it points to attracting investments of 78 trillion pesos (US$25 billion), with the potential to generate 215,000 new jobs.

Other benefits that the project would bring would be reducing the time needed to detect and repair damaged or vandalized streetlights. Between 2025 and so far in 2026, more than 24,000 requests related to damage and theft of public lighting infrastructure have been handled, according to the mayor’s office.

The Special Administrative Unit of Public Services (UAESP, responsible for guaranteeing and supervising basic public services in Bogota) reported that during 2026, nearly 93,000 service orders related to public lighting have been handled, of which 86.93% were addressed in less than 120 hours.

With the system, it will also be possible to adjust the intensity of the lighting according to the flow of pedestrians, vehicles and environmental conditions, with the goal of optimizing energy consumption. For now, the challenge is to determine whether the model can be extended to more areas of Bogota.

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