155 significantly improved customer satisfaction, reduced wait times and increased first contact resolution rates.” In addition, generative AI is also powering new language translation capabilities, which is particularly beneficial for governmental organisations serving immigrant populations or residents in countries like India, where there are 22 official languages. In India, just 11 per cent of the 1.4 billion citizens speak English – the language of the government, business and public life – so most of the population is unable to access around 20,000 government programmes. However, a new solution developed by government-backed research group AI4Bharat allows residents to use WhatsApp to send a text or audio message to the Jugalbandi chatbot, which uses tools including Azure OpenAI Service to retrieve information on relevant government schemes and relay it back to the citizen in their own language. “Generative AI is making real-time translation of both text and speech incredibly easy and affordable for governments, opening up new opportunities for them to engage with residents who have been historically excluded from assistance due to language barriers,” says Basha. Similarly, governmental organisations can use chatbots to assist tourists visiting their cities. In Madrid, Spain, municipal office Madrid Destino has collaborated with Microsoft partner iUrban to create VisitMadridGPT, an Azure OpenAI Service-based AI assistant that provides tourists with 24/7 access to accurate, personalised and real-time information about the city in more than 95 languages. “The service improves the visitor experience significantly and frees up workers to focus on higher-value tasks,” says Basha. A helping hand AI assistants are helping government employees behind the scenes too. “Public sector organisations around the world are struggling to meet increased demand for services due to issues such as budget cuts and worker shortages, but AI technologies can relieve some of this pressure by empowering them to do more with less,” says Basha. “Tools such as Microsoft Copilots – AI-powered virtual assistants – can automate repetitive and timeconsuming tasks, which significantly reduces the administrative burden on staff, boosting their productivity and freeing them up to focus on delivering more responsive care to citizens. “As with the new generation of chatbots and IVR systems, these AI-powered virtual assistants for government workers are greatly enhanced by even more AI technology to enable them to retrieve comprehensive and accurate information from knowledge databases. For example, tools PUBLIC SECTOR Microsoft has built tools such as screen readers into its products to make them more accessible for users with visual impairments Photo: iStock/ agrobacter
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