Context
As digitalisation becomes increasingly more important for streamlined governance, it is imperative that government systems evolve to match the growing expectations for speed, accuracy and user-friendliness. In Austria, the government’s online financial service, FinanzOnline, has made significant strides in achieving these goals through the restructuring of its platform and the introduction of innovative technologies, such as the Chatbots Fred and ID-Austria, which together constitute the Chatbot Federation.
Objectives
Building upon the established success and framework of Chatbot Fred, this federation aims to create a more robust and all-encompassing system for automated assistance. With specialised chatbots such as Chatbot Fred focusing on tax-related queries and Chatbot ID-Austria specialising in digital identity services, the Bot Federation will offer a seamlessly integrated and intelligent ecosystem for responding to a wide range of citizens’ needs.
Implementation
The Bot Federation marks a significant leap in digital innovation for government services, specifically within the FinanzOnline platform. Initially, Chatbot Fred was a standalone innovation designed to address tax-related queries. The subsequent goal was to elevate this foundational work by fusing the knowledge base of Chatbot Fred with that of ID-Austria Chatbot. This synergistic integration allows Fred to consult ID-Austria for specialised knowledge, offering users a unified and enriched source of information. But the impact of this Bot Federation goes beyond merely enhancing individual chatbot functionalities. It introduces a groundbreaking approach to digital governance by creating a scalable, interoperable framework. This structure facilitates the seamless sharing of information between chatbots, allowing the incorporation of multiple governmental knowledge bases in the future.
Government officials played a crucial role in championing the adoption of this cutting-edge approach to digital governance. They provided the necessary support and resources for the development and integration of Chatbot Fred and ID-Austria.
Looking ahead, a promising innovation is the concept of a Bot Federation in which multiple chatbots, including Chatbot Fred and Chatbot ID-Austria, collaborate to find the most accurate and helpful answers to the users’ questions.