性视界传媒 council received an update Dec. 16 on the launch of the City of 性视界传媒's Development Inquiry Assistant, described in a before council as "an Artificial Intelligence-powered chatbot designed to provide citizens with instant, accurate, and user-friendly answers to their questions about permitting requirements and development opportunities."

The DIA was first piloted on April 9, 2024 with a focus on single-family building permits and tenant improvement building permits.

"Accessible through the City鈥檚 website, DIA is designed to be an interactive, web-based tool that complements the role of building front counter staff," the corporate report explains.

It was updated on Aug. 29 to accommodate zoning changes that were introduced by provincial legislation to include small-scale multi-unit housing and then on Dec. 12 its capabilities were expanded to handle questions concerning subdivisions and comprehensive development zones among other improvements. 

"Since its inception, DIA has significantly reduced the volume of routine inquiries handled by front-line staff, allowing them to focus on processing applications and resolving complex issues," the corporate report reads.  "DIA currently handles an average of 460 inquiries per month, with a user dissatisfaction rate of just 1.9 per cent."

It's now fully operational, offering comprehensive development information and is publicly accessible 24/7 and features multi-lingual support. 

"The world of artificial intelligence is moving very rapidly in our world and the advent of the latest technology out there, it's growing exponential and I believe that the way we do business in the future is going to change dramatically and I just want to thank staff for being on the leading edge of the as a we move forward," Councillor Doug Elford remarked. 

Councillor Linda Annis asked if training will be made available to the "development community" so people can "understand and utlilize this tool to the best advantage."

Instructions can be found at the but staff advised they will look into more ways to engage with users.

Councillor Harry Bains noted that "the fact that the report says that it's significantly reduced the volume of routine increase handled by front-line staff is an amazing fact.

"I mean, people didn't stop calling because they stopped caring, they stopped calling because they're getting the answers and they have it at their fingertips."