Open Circuit America’s building bottleneck
20 snips
Jul 14, 2025 
Brian Deese, an Innovation Fellow at MIT and former director of the National Economic Council, dives into America's infrastructure challenges. He argues that outdated permitting systems are stifling investments in AI and clean energy. Deese highlights that 80% of project delays are due to state regulations, not federal ones. He suggests a zero-based budgeting approach could expedite projects, and discusses how AI could dramatically speed up environmental reviews. The conversation touches on recent Republican spending bills and the need for powerful narratives to rally public support.
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Build Capacity Limits Growth
- America's economic growth is now limited by its capacity to build infrastructure.
- Physical capacity underpins sectors from housing to energy and is crucial for scaling innovation.
Focus on Outcome-Based Goals
- Shift from interim milestones to outcome-based goals in infrastructure projects.
- Be prepared for emotional challenges as stakeholders reassess benchmarks and adjust power dynamics.
AI Cuts Permit Costs Fast
- AI can drastically reduce the time and money spent on environmental and regulatory reviews.
- Enabling these technologies can cut permit costs from months and hundreds of thousands of dollars to weeks.
