The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) has unveiled the Batho Pele artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot for public servants.
Batho Pele is a Sesotho phrase meaning “people first”.
The chatbot, which is a public-private partnership between the DPSA, Meta and Juicetel, forms part of government’s efforts to modernise public service delivery using technology.
The new tool aims to give public servants and citizens instant access to public service policy updates, circulars, legislation and other essential information, according to the department.
Additionally, it will be able to process information and respond in nine South African official languages, according to a statement.
DPSA minister Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi says the system will be deployed with the constitutional values of transparency, accountability, privacy, security and fairness.
“This chatbot does not make decisions. It does not replace human judgement. It supports public servants to make better, faster and more informed decisions, with empathy and accountability that only a human can provide.”
Buthelezi believes the launch presents the foundation for the tool to be scaled across national departments, provinces, municipalities and public entities, and eventually be extended to frontline services, such as health, home affairs, social grants, education and local government.
Thabo Makenete, head of public policy in the Southern Africa region for Meta, comments: “Batho Pele AI shows what’s possible when government, the private sector and local innovators work together to put AI to practical use.
“By making public service information accessible in nine South African languages through a simple conversational interface, this platform helps public servants spend less time searching for policy guidance and more time serving citizens.”
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