What some of the UK's largest cities could look like in 2050 - according to AI

30 September 2023 , 07:10

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Artificial Intelligence software showed how London could look in 27 years (Image: Duncan Thomsen / SWNS)

A vision of what some of the UK's largest cities could look like in 2050 has been given using Artificial Intelligence.

Computer-generated images show key locations in the UK and how cities such as London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Edinburgh 27 years in the future. The pictures, which are created using a text prompt, show futuristic-looking cities were made by film editor Duncan Thomsen.

He was keen to discover what the cities could become, and allow the next generation to see how they could be designed. It also gives a new generation of designers the chance to see how they could be involved - and how they could be living in the future.

A vision of Manchester in 27 years time, according to AI software (Duncan Thomsen / SWNS)

He said: "I wanted to show how the 20 and 30-year-olds today will design their future like 50 and 60-year-olds today designed theirs. With so many things available to them like AI and design structures, it will influence every country on the planet. I wanted to show how you can keep a city British and make it a global interest to people."

He was also keen to keep the cities identities, but he said London will lead the way in future vision and will show what can be achieved using imagined design, which can be incorporated into historic landmarks that exist today.

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A space age vision of Cardiff 27 years into the future, according to an AI vision (Duncan Thomsen / SWNS)

"They are all really exciting. London will always somewhat be leading the way in design. I like the idea of this Blade Runner future - it brought a smile to my face."

AI responds to prompts and commands set by the user and creates pictures by referencing billions of images online. It is used to create future environments, but can also be used to create photographs or reimagine how a person looked if they were born in a different era.

More visions, this time Edinburgh gets the AI treatment - 27 years in the future (Duncan Thomsen / SWNS)

Duncan, from Brighton, used the software Midjourney, through the application Discord. He asked AI to create a futuristic 2050 UK city, keeping historical architecture and predicting public transport based on current ideas.

He then added vehicles that would operate in the surroundings. The results of his detailed prompts show what can be achieved in a future world that still retains the older parts people love.

Birmingham has been transformed in the AI images, but some people may have different views of what it may look like in 27 years time (Duncan Thomsen / SWNS)

Among the designs are futuristic transport which looks in some cases like it has come out of a sci-fi movie. Many of the elements of the city now are present. But transport appears to have had the largest impact on all the designs.

Many people may decide the future is not for them, and retire to quieter more rural parts that will not be as impacted by new technology and extravagant design. The images do, however, suggest how our largest cities may change and become beacons of the future.

Graeme Murray