Technology Minister Judith Collins is supportive of using artificial intelligence to ease interactions with government.
Technology Minister Judith Collins is supportive of using artificial intelligence to ease interactions with government.
Minister responsible for Technology and Innovation Judith Collins says she supports expanding the use of a new artificial intelligence tool that promises to improve access to government information.
Collins today announced a pilot of the tool, named GovGPT, and described it as an “exciting first step towards a vision ofa digital front door” through which people get publicly available information in a more convenient and timely fashion.
The tool, which operated similarly to the popular AI function ChatGPT, was developed by Crown entity Callaghan Innovation and its pilot focused on providing support to businesses in search of government information.
Expected to be launched on the entity’s website in October, GovGPT in its initial form could scan certain government websites including New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Inland Revenue and Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment.
Callaghan Innovation chief executive Dr Stefan Korn says the tool's use could be expanded. Photo / Sarah Sun
It was designed to quickly collate and deliver answers to questions from the business community, such as how to register, what compliance measures are required or how to apply for funding.
It could receive questions and give answers in text and audio. It was also able to communicate in multiple languages, including te reo Māori.
Unlike ChatGPT, GovGPT was ring-fenced so it could only access information on those specific websites.
Collins told the Herald GovGPT was a “wonderful” tool and indicated her support for expansion to other areas of government like education or health.
“I’d love to see it extended out, but I thought we should start with something [like] a pilot first.”
She expected the tool’s effectiveness would be assessed after three to five months and if it proved useful, Collins said she’d argue in Cabinet for wider application.
“People are naturally and should be concerned about information that is not publicly-facing but this is all public-facing, so I don’t see that anyone is going to have any problem with this.”
Callaghan Innovation chief executive Dr Stefan Korn in front of a demonstration of GovGPT. Photo / Sarah Sun
Callaghan Innovation chief executive Dr Stefan Korn, who holds a PhD in AI, said GovGPT was inspired by a similar tool in Ukraine that enhanced interactions with Ukrainian government services.
“The thing that irked me was, how is it possible that a country at war is able to do this and we are sitting here with all the advantages that we’ve got in New Zealand, why weren’t we the first ones to do this?”
He endorsed Collins’ belief GovGPT posed minimal security risks, given it could only access publicly accessible information.
Korn acknowledged initial issues: “It’s become clear to us through the use of this tool that actually in some cases, there is either conflicting information on a government website or things like broken links.”
GovGPT’s pronunciation of te reo was also insufficient. Korn said the feature had been removed and Callaghan Innovation was working with the Whāriki Māori business network to improve it.
However, Korn saw plenty of room for expansion.
“It could be very easily turned into an app or it could be a centralised thing so that it can sit on every government website, I mean, it’s all possible.”
Collins also announced AI Activator, “A new Callaghan Innovation-led initiative will support Kiwi businesses of all sizes and stages to boost productivity and competitiveness through the transformative power of artificial intelligence..”
“The new AI Activator initiative provides access to AI expertise, R&D resources, AI tools for businesses and interactive learning modules,” Collins said.
The initiative is a collaboration between Callaghan Innovation, NZTE and NIWA, drawing on existing budgets.
Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.
