Artificial intelligence in NSW Planning

Artificial intelligence (AI) can help speed up planning processes by improving productivity and reducing the administrative burden on planners.

The NSW Government is investing in proven AI tools and other digital solutions to support more efficient development assessment processes.

These initiatives aim to improve application quality, streamline assessment pathways and enhance productivity while maintaining existing planning standards and decision-making processes.

Our current AI initiatives:

In September 2025, the Department launched a tender for an AI tool to support the assessment of state significant development (SSD) applications.

The tool will help planners to process SSD applications by:

• aggregating information and documentation in the expression of interest and lodgement phases
• checking applications against planning rules and key criteria
• identifying potential gaps in submissions against relevant planning controls and guidance earlier.

The introduction of AI into SSD assessments will not change planning policies, assessment requirements or decision-making processes. Existing planning standards will continue to apply, with all AI-supported outputs reviewed by planners before being used in assessments.

Planning decisions will continue to be made by qualified planners and decision-makers.

All tools used by the Department go through extensive testing and must comply with the NSW Artificial Intelligence Assessment Framework.

The NSW Government is investing up to $17 million over 4 years into the initiative. This is the next step in the NSW Government’s work to speed up planning assessments so homes and infrastructure can be delivered sooner.

In 2024, the NSW Government launched the AI in NSW Planning project, to better understand how councils could use existing, proven AI tools and other digital solutions to enhance the local development application process, particularly in the pre-lodgement phase.

The AI in NSW Planning project aimed to:

1. Improve the quality of submitted applications so councils can assess them more efficiently.
2. Find a selection of suitable AI tools and digital products that are ready to deploy and that councils can start using right away.

As part of the AI in NSW Planning project, the Department established an AI Solutions Panel following a competitive open market process. The AI Solutions Panel operated for 2 years, from April 2024 to April 2026. It was designed to simplify procurement and encourage council use of AI tools.

The Early Adopter Grant Program supported NSW councils to trial AI solutions that could assist with the pre-lodgement phase of the development application (DA) process. More than $2.7 million in funding was awarded to 14 grant projects, representing 16 councils, that demonstrated digital maturity and a clear opportunity to improve their DA processes using AI tools on the AI Solutions Panel.

The Hawkesbury, Wingecarribee, Blacktown and Cumberland Councils publicly launched their AI tool as a result of this initial funding. Remaining councils undertook internal trials to test and customise tools to fit council requirements. Insights on the benefits and challenges of implementing AI in the local planning system help shape the Department's future work.

Applications for the Early Adopter Grant Program were open 30 April to 22 May 2024.