AI chatbot will help non-English speakers navigate Minnesota’s Driver and Vehicle Services division

© Provided by WCCO Radio Minneapolis Artificial intelligence.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety has launched a new artificial intelligence tool in its Driver and Vehicle Services division. The chatbot will now help those in the state who speak different languages.

The AI takes the form of an online, multilingual virtual assistant with the purpose of communicating better with customers for whom English is not their first language.

State Information Technology Commissioner Tarik Thomes discussed the new technology, sharing how it will be a massive help for many in the state.

“When we can use technology to be a digital connector of people, we create closer communities,” Thomes said.

The chatbot can communicate with customers in English, Hmong, Spanish, and Somali.

It’s designed to answer common questions the DVS receives on any given day, typically relating to driver’s licenses, insurance, titles, and license plates.

DVS Director Pong Xiong says that the more people interact with the chatbot, the more its language will develop, helping it communicate more smoothly and even in different dialects.

“That’s going to make the chatbot better and even more Minnesotan,” Xiong said.