Some of British Columbia's largest cities are using artificial intelligence for tasks such as summarizing reports, writing emails, early wildfire detection, and identifying contaminated garbage, according to a CBC News survey. Vancouver, Surrey, and Burnaby are using AI to pre-screen building or development applications by reviewing permits and flagging discrepancies. Burnaby's fire department recently started using AI for wildfire detection, and its IT department is exploring AI-driven cybersecurity. Richmond used GitHub Copilot to develop its new election mobile app. Surrey is exploring AI to identify contamination in residential garbage collection and road hazards. Vancouver has a general assistance chatbot, while Surrey has chatbots for waste collection and recycling questions and for building and renovating inquiries. Most of the cities—Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby, and Abbotsford—said Microsoft's Copilot is approved for staff use.