One of the oldest American cities is exploring how AI can make its neighborhoods work better, from reducing traffic to making public records easier to read.

Why it matters: Experimenting with AI can help employees find new shortcuts for doing business and make the city more prepared against cyber threats and other risks, says Santiago Garces, Boston's chief innovation officer.

Catch up quick: Boston announced Thursday a partnership with Project Green Light, Google's AI traffic analysis initiative.

• The team studies traffic patterns and makes recommendations for optimizing the traffic light plans in hopes of reducing delays and emissions, per the website.
• The project operates in 13 other cities worldwide, including Seattle.

How it works: The team uses AI and Google Maps driving trends to track traffic patterns at intersections around the city.

• They look for signs of movement, idling and starting and stopping.
• Engineers can cross reference the data with loop sensors, Garces says.

State of play: Google has analyzed the data for five months and started making recommendations.

• The city implemented those suggestions at intersections in Fenway, Mission Hill and Jamaica Plain this summer.
• Garces said there isn't an end date yet for the partnership, and they will continue assessing the data.

Between the lines: The Wu administration remains adamant about creating a city that runs on trains, buses, bicycles and pedestrians, but officials aren't under any illusions that people don't need to drive, Garces says.

• UPS vans, ambulances and buses carrying dozens of people need to use the roadways even in the best multimodal cities.

The city has undergone other AI experiments over the past year.

• One project involves creating summaries with keywords for City Council records dating back two decades.

Keep reading: Other cities' experiments

CargoB, the first bikeshare program with cargo e-bikes in the U.S., recently launched in Boston.

Why it matters: Bikeshare services — like Bluebikes in Boston, Citi Bike in New York City and Divvy Bikes in Chicago — have proven remarkably popular, offering people an alternative transportation option without the hassles of bike ownership in big cities.

• Cargo e-bikes are closer to an actual car replacement, with lots of room for groceries and other goods — or even passengers.

State of play: CargoB started off with a small fleet of bikes from Urban Arrow, a favorite among cargo e-bike fans.

• It costs $2.50 to unlock a CargoB bike using a dedicated app.
• It's another 25 cents a minute until you bring it back to its home station. (That's about the same price Bluebikes charges for single rides on its e-bikes.)
• The bikes get about 30 miles of range on a single charge, per CargoB.

And they're pedal-assist. An electric motor helps push you along, making it easier to go long distances or carry heavy loads.

Zoom in: Locals or visitors can find CargoB's bikes in Jamaica Plain, Cambridge and Somerville, with a downtown location coming soon.

• The company has four bikes on offer, with two more on the way.

Yes, but: The bikes must be brought back to where you picked them up.

Go deeper.

🚨 A sign fell off a building in Downtown Crossing and injured a woman passing by. (NBC Boston)

🗣️ Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran was caught on a hot mic Sunday yelling a homophobic slur in response to a fan. (Globe)

• He has since apologized.

❌ Dolce Vita, the longtime North End restaurant, has closed. (RestaurantTalk)

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Monday 8/12

🧠 Neuroscientist and physicist Kelly Clancy discusses her new book, "Playing With Reality: How Games Have Shaped Our World" at Harvard Book Store, 7pm.

🎸 The Doobie Brothers are bringing blue-eyed soul artist Steve Winwood along to the Xfinity Center in Mansfield.

Tuesday 8/13

🎶 Rapper Future and producer Metro Boomin are out on the "We Trust You" tour coming to TD Garden.

📖 Trident Booksellers & Cafe starts spooky season early celebrating the release of "Better Left Buried" by author Mary E. Roach, 7pm-9pm.

Wednesday 8/14

🎸Call them emo, call them post-hardcore, call them four nice boys from Long Island. Taking Back Sunday will be at MGM Music Hall.

🎞 See Walter Hill's 1984 rock and roll fable "Streets of Fire," the greatest mediocre movie ever made at the Alamo drafthouse at 7pm. It's a blast, trust us.

Thursday 8/15

🎸Slipknot celebrates the 25th anniversary of their breakout debut album from way back in 1999 with an appearance at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield.

Friday 8/16

🎙 Catch Boston's own Lydia "The LovelySinger" Harrell sing at BPL Copley for the Concerts in the Courtyard series, 12:30pm-1:30pm.

🎶 Premiere Broadway in Somerville hosts a '90s night, 8:30pm-1:30am.

Saturday 8/17

🎶 Hibernian Hall and Boston Lyric Opera present Street Stage, a free concert, at Madison Park, 10:30am-12pm.

• Rain location: Hibernian Hall

🎸 Rock legends ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd came up with a clever name for their combo tour: "The Sharp Dressed Simple Man" tour. It's rumbling into Mansfield.

🎸 It'll be a twofer of feminine folk rock with Melissa Etheridge and the Indigo Girls at Leader Bank Pavilion in South Boston.

Sunday 8/18

🇩🇴 Boston's Dominican Parade kicks off at Centre Street in Jamaica Plain, 12pm.

💗 Trident Booksellers and Cafe hosts a Romance Book Fair at its new event space, The Stacks, 1pm-4pm.