Science ministry unveils AI permit screening service for land development

The science ministry said Wednesday it unveiled an AI-based service that screens land development projects for permit problems before applications are filed, part of a push to bring artificial intelligence into everyday government services.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the land ministry presented the service at the 18th K-Geo Festa. Work on the project began in April as one of the government's "AI 10 livelihood projects" and is due to be completed by December 2027.

The system diagnoses whether a project is likely to win approval, drawing on land development regulations and local government ordinances. It analyzes questions typed in ordinary language rather than legal terminology, so users without specialist knowledge can describe what they want to build.

The developer, a consortium led by AI and data analytics company B.I. Matrix with geospatial firms Wevers and ICT Way, has finished linking the orchestrator that coordinates several AI agents with the individual agents, and has built the environment for testing and pilot operation.

Incheon's Gyeyang District, Eumseong County in North Chungcheong Province, Asan in South Chungcheong Province, and Gyeongsan and Yeongcheon in North Gyeongsang Province will begin pilot operations in January. After the five test the system and its reliability is established, the pilot will expand to 18 local governments in June 2027. Mobile and civil-servant administrative versions are scheduled for release in December 2027.

The government expects the service to cut the time spent preparing and processing civil complaints by more than 30 percent and save about 7.5 billion won ($5.59 million) a year. A single building permit can trigger 23 separate permit requirements and a factory establishment up to 36, with processing taking two to 12 months.

The project has a budget of 10.7 billion won ($7.98 million), made up of 8 billion won ($5.96 million) in state funding and 2.7 billion won ($2.01 million) from the private sector.

Hong Seong-wan, the science ministry's information and communications policy director, said the service would help people understand and prepare for complex permit requirements and procedures without specialist knowledge. "The Ministry of Science and ICT will continue to cooperate closely with related ministries to accelerate AI transformation in the public sector," he said.

The K-Geo Festa runs through Friday at Hall 10 of KINTEX Exhibition Center 2 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The project team is running a promotional booth during the fair so local government officials and industry and academic researchers can try the service and offer feedback.