Can AI Help Accelerate Clean-Energy Permitting?

The Carney government aims to double Canada’s grid capacity by 2050, stressing the importance of regulatory institutions in achieving a credible national electricity strategy.
AI potentially aids in speeding up the administrative and analytical work behind permitting decisions without compromising necessary safeguards.
Traditional methods of expediting permitting often result in weaker community engagement and public trust, leading to legal challenges and community backlash.
Implementing AI in permitting requires building more agile institutions capable of planning earlier, making cross-system coordination easier, and prioritizing high-risk projects.
AI in permitting processes should assist, rather than replace, human judgment, by focusing on organizing and translating complex data, while ensuring human oversight and privacy protections.
Pilot projects involving AI should begin with low-risk applications to test and refine its integration into the permitting process.
Effective AI implementation relies on regulatory capacity building, including investing in expertise, data infrastructure, evaluation systems, and proper legal authority to govern the lifecycle of AI tools.
The ultimate success of facilitating clean infrastructure lies not in speed, but in Canada’s institutions’ ability to uphold trust and public-interest standards.