“Customers can now get most of their answers online.” “Early testing shows AB-1 is now answering twice as many questions, and we expect volumes to increase,” says Andy MacDonald, Executive Director of C orporate Services at the council. An upgraded version of this internal chatbot is coming soon.Īnd while the original chatbot reduced the number of calls and emails to the council, freeing up staff for more meaningful and in-person work, the latest version of AB-1 is producing even greater efficiencies. The council also has an internal version of AB-1, answering questions about topics such as wages and annual leave for the council’s 8000 staff. Revamping the digital front door to council servicesĮnabling citizens to help themselves to round-the-clock support, AB-1 handles queries on topics such as refuse collection, school term dates and council tax. New generative AI capabilities also mean it can understand more complex questions and respond with more detailed answers.

It has now launched an improved version of AB-1 in Azure, which has helped it to optimise and scale the chatbot. It wanted to improve public service delivery further, while adapting to the increasing pressures on local authorities across the country. The council, which is committed to embracing technology to create positive change, has continued to innovate. Aberdeen City Council became the first local authority in Scotland with a virtual assistant when it launched its AB-1 chatbot with Microsoft in 2020.

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