Do LLMs Drain or Multiply Urban Planners’ Attention? скачать в хорошем качестве

Do LLMs Drain or Multiply Urban Planners’ Attention?

The introduction of large language models (LLMs) promises to augment urban planners by multiplying their attention, enabling them to conduct simultaneous analyses that once took weeks. Yet, the paradox is clear: while LLMs may free human attention from routine cognitive tasks, they also generate an abundance of information that requires iterations, fact-checking and critical evaluation—sometimes consuming more attention than they save. Drawing on recent research in AI, attention economics and urban planning (Metzger, 2025), this live explores whether LLMs will ultimately become synthetic providers of “competent attention”—helping planners refocus on under-attended dimensions of their work—or whether they risk turning planners into compliance managers overwhelmed by oversight duties and AI-generated contents.