Callaghan Innovation and Whāriki Māori Business Network develop GovGPT AI chatbot pilot project with Microsoft

The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Judith Collins, has announced a Callaghan Innovation led trial of an AI chatbot, called GovGPT, targeted at business users.

GovGPT was developed in less than two months, Callaghan said, using existing large language models (LLMs) and software modules, with Whāriki Maori Business Network and Microsoft.

A spokesperson for Callaghan told interest.co.nz that the project involved less than a hundred hours of staff time.

To collect relevant information from disparate government websites, GovGPT uses a method called retrieval augmented generation or RAG.

RAG is a way to minimise "hallucinations" that AIs trained on LLMs are prone to, as it can be used to verify the information the chatbot has presented to users by checking it against facts published on eg. government websites.

The chatbot supports multiple languages including Te Reo Māori text, although Callaghan didn't say which other tongues could be used with GovGPT.

However, GovGPT is multi-moda,l which in this context means it can work with both textual and speech input. Callaghan said it will be updated and improved rapidly over the next few months to create "a seamless user experience, including customisation options for the conversational companion, such as different voices, tone and speech speed".

Callaghan's head of AI and digital, Sarah Sun, explained the rationale for GovGPT:

“We know there’s a lot of government support and information out there to help businesses thrive.

"But it can be hard to find and is often located across a number of different sites."

"Businesses often don’t have time to hunt around for what they need from government, so there’s a risk of missing out on support or crucial information," she said.

Sun said Callaghan envisions a simple, digital front door through which Kiwis can quickly and easily get answers to for questions about government support and services. 

GovGPT is set to go live in October this year.

AI Activator to help businesses learn about artificial intelligence 

Collins also launched another Callaghan led initiative for Kiwi businesses to use AI.

Called the AI Activator, the initiative is a collaboration between Callaghan, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.

AI Activator was set up to help business which find it hard to know where to start with AI, and how to do it, Sun explained. 

Through the AI Activator, businesses can access expertise, research and development resources, tools and interactive learning modules, Sun said.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) said it will host in-person workshops as part of AI Activator to enhance artificial intelligence knowledge and capabilities for all export businesses. NIWA meanwhile said it will play a crucial role in supporting stronger relationships between researchers and scientists who can support businesses to take advantage of advances in artificial intelligence.

Already, NIWA uses AI for research, and operational forecasting and flood management, the agency's general manager of technology and innovation, Warrick Johnston, said.

The initiative is based on Callaghan's existing activator model for ecosystem-wide support, such as for the health and agri-tech sectors. 

Update: Story amended with Callaghan Innovation's technology provider being Microsoft.