This week we would like to present you another good practice of the EMERGREEN project, funded by Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme 2014-2020 and one of the five projects participating in the ARCTIC PACER clustering project.
The ‘Artificial intelligence powered conversational chatbots’ is a computer program or an artificial intelligence (AI) which conducts a conversation via auditory or textual methods. Such programs are often designed to convincingly simulate how a human would behave as a conversational partner. The Artificial intelligence powered chatbots use Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML) to better understand human needs and provide a more natural, near-human level communication.
Chatbots can assist public services providers in automatising more routine tasks, freeing up officials for more sophisticated tasks. The chatbot technologies are easily transferable because are open source and the main work required would come from the development of the knowledge base to train the chatbot. For example, chatbots have been used recently to provide information and assistance to patients in the detection of COVID-19 symptoms.
In the case of EMERGREEN, the chatbot will be tested in ‘Zero waste circular management service’ in Derry City and Strabane District (Northern Ireland) and in ‘Green growth advisory services’ in Västernorrland (Sweden). On the one hand, the ‘Zero waste circular management service’ will improve accessibility to sustainability information for members of the public and businesses, including those in peripheral areas. Also, will improve communications on Waste and Recycling services through digital offerings and better deliver the service to the public with reduced staff overheads. On the other hand, the ‘Green growth advisory services’ will assist advisors in their task of providing advice to the community to be more energy efficient and solve the issue they have to reach a wider audience.
The primary stakeholder of this service are members of the public or citizens who need information and advice on electricity consumption, lighting and subsidized financing possibilities for installing energy-efficient equipment.