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About

Miguel Valdez is an urban studies researcher whose work sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence, robotics, and city life. He has established himself as a leading voice in the emerging field of urban AI, most notably through his 2024 paper "Why does urban Artificial Intelligence (AI) matter for urban studies?"—already accumulating 57 citations—which maps out critical research directions for understanding how algorithms, autonomous vehicles, drones, and robotics are reshaping urban environments. Much of Valdez's empirical work is grounded in Milton Keynes, UK, where he has tracked the deployment of Starship grocery delivery robots since 2018. This real-world laboratory has allowed him to examine how autonomous systems interact with human life under ordinary and extraordinary conditions alike. His research on robotics during the COVID-19 pandemic illuminates how crisis accelerates technological adoption and reconfigures everyday urban routines in ways that are deeply spatial, temporal, and social. Valdez's broader contributions include theorizing the "cyborg city," exploring sustainable urban mobilities, and probing the unanticipated consequences of introducing machine intelligence into public space. With a growing citation record and a distinctive interdisciplinary lens, he is an important voice for students and researchers grappling with how AI is fundamentally transforming urban futures.