Artificial Intelligence in NSW Planning​

Empowering NSW councils to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline local development applications​

The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) adopted the Test and Buy Innovation model to adopt an outcome-based procurement approach to uncover AI solutions that could help NSW councils improve workflow efficiency in the local development application (DA) process, particularly during the pre-lodgement phase. This work aims to supplement the Early Adopter Grants for councils, to accelerate housing delivery.

Achievements

NSW Planning within the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure adopted innovation-friendly procurement methods to create a centralised and vetted list of mature and fit-for-purpose AI products known as the AI Solutions Panel. This panel enables councils to easily procure and integrate AI tools into their development assessment workflows. To ensure ethical and responsible deployment, all solutions are evaluated using the NSW Artificial Intelligence Assessment Framework (AIAF), in alignment with the state's mandatory AI Ethics Principles.​

Engagement

The Test and Buy Innovation supported the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to engage NSW local councils in defining clear challenge statements and engaging with suppliers to bring the challenge to life and uncover the best possibilities before securing agreements for councils to implement their preferred solutions.

Department leading the project

Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure​