Canadian firm Virtuo is testing a generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) app trained specifically on individual homes.

The company has formally announced the beta release of HomieAI, built on years of deep engagement with more than 30,000 homeowners and a technology infrastructure custom-designed for the home industry. It lets homeowners securely chat with their home, ask questions, look up details, get advice and solve problems quickly.

Leveraging relationships with homebuilders, brokers and realtors, HomieAI is securely trained on large volumes of data on individual, specific homes. These data include floorplans, electrical layouts, HVAC installations, finish details, appliance specifications, zoning restrictions, HOA agreements and warranty information. This knowledgebase allows it to give personalised, accurate answers, as opposed to Google or ChatGPT, which can only give vague, general answers.

HomieAI (virtuo.com/homieai) manages simple requests such as “My paint is peeling. Is that covered under warranty and if not what is the swatch colour?” or “What lightbulb goes into my hood fan?” easily. Homeowners can also get more engaged, asking questions such as “Considering my location, what’s the best thing I can do this winter to protect my house’s exterior?” And, as more people use HomieAI, it becomes smarter, more powerful and useful.

“We’ve been helping homeowners find great answers to tough questions for years,” said Casey Kachur, CEO of Virtuo. “However, a challenge has always been the massive amount of data, documents and disorder within the home industry. HomieAI was designed to help harmonise this fragmentation and, most importantly, create an amazing experience for homeowners.”

Dave Armstrong, vice president at Qualico (www.qualico.com) subsidiary Pacesetter, a home builder with communities across North America, added: “We’re thrilled about the opportunity to integrate HomieAI into our business and unlock its potential to build on the success we’ve already achieved with Virtuo. Virtuo has been pivotal in scaling and enhancing our customer experience, allowing us to deliver a truly differentiated journey for our clients. HomieAI represents an exciting next step to elevate these outcomes for our customers further.”

And Scott Kaplanis, managing partner at Groundbreak Ventures (groundbreakventures.com), an early investor in Virtuo, said: “We think HomieAI is a game changer. AI is rapidly reshaping the real-estate experience, and a lot of home builders and realty brokers are going to want to be a part of this.”

Virtuo (virtuo.com) is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta.