Bei Chen

Bei Chen is a PhD student in Urban Studies and Planning. Her research programme focuses on the socio-political dimensions of China’s AI and robotic policy visions and implementation in urban contexts. Prior to her PhD study, Bei was a journalist working in China for more than a decade. She was awarded a MA (with distinction) in Digital Media and Society in the University of Sheffield in 2018.

Bei’s thesis, "Production of urban AI and robotics: imaginaries and realities for AI experimentation in Shanghai", is aimed to deepen understanding the meaning of urban AI and robotics (UAIRs), and explore how the emerging modes of producing UAIRs may significantly shape the future trajectory of cities’ development. Grounding in the political-economic context of Shanghai, the thesis interrogates why and how some specific UAIRs-applied artefacts are selectively trialled in urban functioning, whereby exploring the long-term material and immaterial impacts of UAIRs experimental practices acting on the urban fabrics.

Bei’s recent publications:

Chen, B., (2023). Book chapter: Performed imaginaries of the AI-controlled city: Conducting urban AI experimentation in China. Artificial Intelligence and the City. Routledge.

Chen, B., Marvin, S. & While, A., (2020). Containing COVID-19 in China: AI and the robotic restructuring of future cities. Dialogues in Human Geography. 10(2), 238–241. 

Guenat, S., et al., (2022). Meeting sustainable development goals via robotics and autonomous systems. Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31150-5. 

Marvin, S., While, A., Chen, B., Kovacic, M., (2022). AI in China: social control or hyper-capitalist development in the post-smart city? Frontiers in Sustainable Cities.