UK government pilots AI for faster house planning

Google DeepMind is partnering with the UK government to develop a new AI prototype using Gemini to accelerate householder planning applications. The initiative aims to halve the decision-making time for planning officers, addressing administrative backlogs and contributing to the UK's goal of building 1.5 million new homes by 2029. This collaboration builds on the success of 'Extract,' a previous tool that digitized old planning documents. The project is part of Google DeepMind's National Partnerships for AI program, focused on reimagining public services for more resilient societies.