Cheltenham Borough Council

Modernising and enhancing customer services with Artificial Intelligence (AI)

A website can provide information 24/7. However 10% of households do not have access to the internet (ONS, 2018) and there is a growing trend for verbal interfaces such as Google ‘Home’. In 2016, 20% of Google queries on mobile devices were by voice.

The research will explore 2 different AI interfaces:

Accessing open-content by phone

In recent years, the accuracy and efficiency of speech recognition technology has undergone great advancements. The machinability is able to recognise human speech and phrases and transform them into digital and machine-readable format. Can AI provide a natural response to queries via telephone, to handle simple issues? Not to replace humans, but to enable 24/7 provision.

Tourist Information Hologram

Hologram technologies have been used in a customer services scenario, but typically as a one-way flow of information. The aim would be to find an AI based interactive hologram solution to visitor queries within the public realm. As an alternative to a digital board, could hologram technology provide a humanised approach to requests, perhaps using 3D models to show directions, available outside of office hours?