Issue Digital twins risk reproducing or amplifying existing social gaps

Summary

The report acknowledges that digital twins let public policies be tested before they are applied, but sees risks similar to those of other AI applications. A central task is making sure the data and algorithms fed into simulations do not reproduce or amplify gaps that already exist. Because twins are being used to test which policies suit problems such as pollution, spatial segregation or housing access, any bias that creeps in could distort policy judgements themselves. Cases involving vulnerable groups are multiplying, as when Zaragoza's twin identified heat islands and vulnerable households to compare policies. The report concludes that digital twins must be ethical if they are genuinely to improve the governance of cities and territories. Its expectation that real decisions will soon be hard to make without virtual testing adds weight to the challenge.