A.I. in Environmental Permitting.

This North Carolina bill creates a joint program for the Department of Environmental Quality and the Environmental Management Commission to use artificial intelligence tools when drafting and reviewing environmental permits. While the law encourages using AI to speed up routine tasks, it requires human staff to independently review and modify any AI-generated work before finalizing a permit decision. The legislation mandates transparency by requiring the department to publish details about the AI systems used and to inform applicants when AI assists in their permit processing. Additionally, the bill sets specific rules for data security and prohibits using applicant information to train third-party AI models without state authorization.