PSPC using an AI bot named ‘Ava’ to help clear Phoenix pay system backlog

With about 450,00 outstanding cases tied to the faulty pay system, an artificial intelligence virtual agent is tasked with clearing 160,000 over the next 15 months.

Alex Benay, associate deputy minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada, says an AI virtual agent, or 'Ava,' has been trained by compensation advisers for the past year.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

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BY MARLO GLASS

June 23, 2025

An artificial intelligence bot has been given the unenviable task of clearing up a hefty backlog of cases related to issues with the Phoenix pay system.

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