AI has helped to slash nuclear licensing review times, NRC official says

AI has helped to slash nuclear licensing review times, NRC official says

https://www.nextgov.com/artificial-intelligence/2026/06/ai-has-helped-slash-nuclear-licensing-review-times-nrc-official-says/414446/

Publish Date: 2026-06-25 18:21:00

Source Domain: www.nextgov.com

• The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has reduced nuclear facility licensing timelines from four years to 18 months, and further down to nine months with the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
• NRC Chief Data Officer Basia Sall highlighted that AI has built upon recent regulatory changes and federal guidance to turbocharge the licensing process.
• AI is being used to draft documents and check the precedent of previous decisions, making the review process more efficient.
• The NRC is collaborating with industry partners and using AI tools from the General Services Administration’s OneGov initiative and USAi platform to conduct faster regulatory reviews.
• NRC has developed its own AI tool called SimplifAI, built off Azure OpenAI, to enhance efficiency and consistency in licensing, oversight, and regulatory activities.