The British government is stepping into the chatbot market with the launch of an AI-powered business support assistant, aiming to further strengthen the UK’s role in the artificial intelligence sector. Reports Technology News
GOV.UK Chat, a new service developed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), has been rolled out in a limited trial phase. Up to 15,000 businesses will be able to test the AI assistant, although publications like UKTN have yet to be granted access to the service.
The chatbot, designed to assist business users, will provide tailored help and advice using information from GOV.UK. While it’s the first government-led AI assistant of its kind, other countries are also exploring similar initiatives; for instance, Canada is testing a government-supported chatbot at a trial stage.
Built by an in-house team of data scientists and designers, the GOV.UK Chatbot uses OpenAI’s GPT-4o technology. The primary aim is to offer clear, personalized responses based on extensive, complex data.
“Outdated and bulky government processes waste people’s time too often, with the average adult in the UK spending the equivalent of a working week and a half dealing with public sector bureaucracy every year,” said Technology Secretary Peter Kyle.
