Dubai Municipality has announced a project to fully automate the issuance of building permits using artificial intelligence, removing human intervention from parts of the approval process and cutting turnaround times from days to minutes.
The initiative, led by the Building Regulation and Permits Agency, will see an AI system read submitted architectural drawings and documents, check them against the Dubai Building Code and other technical requirements, and issue permits automatically. It will initially apply to private and investment villas.
What the AI agent will actually check
The system is designed to verify plot planning requirements, review architectural designs, assess mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, and validate structural safety. It will also cross-check data across the various submitted documents and generate the building card information required for a permit, tasks that currently require manual review by engineers and municipality staff.
A three-phase rollout over 26 weeks
Dubai Municipality plans to implement the project in three phases spanning 26 weeks in total.
The first phase focuses on developing and testing the AI agent's ability to assess compliance with the Dubai Building Code. In the second phase, the system will be piloted with a group of selected engineering consultancy firms so the municipality can evaluate its performance and collect feedback before wider use.
