Google DeepMind and UK Government to Speed Up Construction Applications with AI

Google DeepMind is working with the UK government, Google Cloud, Faculty, and local planning authorities in Barnet, Dorset, and Camden to create an AI-powered prototype for processing planning applications. The tool will assist planning officers by consolidating data, identifying local policies, summarizing feedback, and drafting assessments, while the officer remains the final decision-maker. This initiative builds on the success of Extract, a tool launched earlier that converts legacy planning documents into digital data, saving councils an estimated 255 hours of manual work per year. The goal is to reduce application decision times by 50% to help the UK build 1.5 million new homes by 2029, with the new tool expected to be available nationwide from 2027.