Singapore government beta testing new chatbot to make official information more accessible
The chatbot is not a replacement for helplines or for officers who speak with members of the public, said GovTech Singapore and the Public Service Division.
The Singapore government is testing a new chatbot called chat.gov.sg to make official information more accessible to the public, according to GovTech Singapore and the Public Service Division (PSD). The chatbot entered its final pre-release phase on July 3 and is available on the ServiceSG Facebook page. The joint statement from GovTech and PSD emphasized that the chatbot is not a replacement for helplines or officers who interact with the public.
The chatbot is designed to simplify the process of finding government information, which can sometimes be challenging due to the involvement of various agencies. Users can ask questions in their own words and in any of Singapore's four official languages, and receive clear answers sourced from official government websites. The statement highlighted that the chatbot can handle common inquiries, allowing public officers to focus on more complex or personal matters that require human interaction.
Security measures are in place to ensure that conversations with the chatbot remain within government systems, and the AI tools used do not retain chat histories or feed them into their training. The chatbot's information will be kept up-to-date as it is sourced from official government websites. The joint statement from GovTech Singapore and PSD expressed that they are monitoring the chatbot's usage and learning from the questions received to continuously improve its performance.
They are committed to making it easier for Singaporeans to find what they need while ensuring that public officers have sufficient time to provide personal attention when needed.
Written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
