Toronto wants AI for potholes. We already built it.

Today the Toronto Sun reported that Mayor Chow’s executive committee is exploring AI to speed up pothole repairs. Councillor Paul Ainslie proposed a motion for an AI-driven “pothole blitz strategy” — claiming it could be live within a week at no cost.

I read that and thought: we launched this three weeks ago. SolveTO is a free platform where anyone in Toronto can photograph a civic issue — pothole, broken sidewalk, graffiti, damaged infrastructure — and AI handles the rest.

What SolveTO does right now

SolveTO is a free platform where anyone in Toronto can photograph a civic issue — pothole, broken sidewalk, graffiti, damaged infrastructure — and AI handles the rest.

Here’s the flow:

Snap a photo. The app captures your location automatically.
AI analyzes it. Within seconds, it classifies the issue type, assesses severity, and generates a structured report.
Auto-routed. The report goes to 311 and the ward councillor’s office. No phone trees. No 45-minute hold times.
Public accountability. Every report is public. Resolution rates are tracked per ward. Councillor performance is visible to everyone.

It’s been live since early February. We have reports filed across Toronto and every one of the 25 wards is covered.

The numbers that matter

The Sun article cited 6,839 pothole reports in February alone — a fivefold increase from last year. The city repaired 257,000 potholes in 2025. The scale is massive and growing.

The bottleneck isn’t repair crews. It’s reporting. Calling 311, waiting on hold, describing the location, hoping someone logs it correctly. That’s the part AI can eliminate today. I tried the city online solution and it was a nightmare. I had to describe the location, take a photo, and fill out several forms. It took me 6 minutes to report a pothole.

SolveTO already eliminates it. A photo and 10 seconds is all it takes.

What makes this different from 311

311 is reactive. You call, you wait, you describe. Someone logs it. Maybe it gets routed correctly.

SolveTO is proactive. Computer vision identifies the issue. GPS pins the location. The report is structured, categorized, and delivered before you’ve put your phone back in your pocket.

We also added community verification — neighbours can confirm an issue exists, which helps the city prioritize. And duplicate detection clusters reports at the same location so crews aren’t dispatched twice.

The real problem isn’t technology

Councillor Ainslie is right that AI can help. But the hard part isn’t building the tech. The hard part is getting citizens to use it and trust it.

That’s why SolveTO is designed as a public accountability tool, not just a reporting tool. Every report is visible. Every ward’s resolution rate is public. Councillors can’t quietly ignore reports when their constituents can see the scoreboard.

What’s next

I’m reaching out to Councillor Ainslie’s office directly. If the city wants AI-powered pothole reporting, it exists. It’s free. It works today.

If you’re in Toronto and you see a pothole, try it: solveto.ca