Yokosuka City in Japan is leading the way when it comes to applying the power and potential of chatbot technology to aid in the management of local governments. The municipality recently announced that it is launching a month-long trial to have all 4,000 of its municipal employees utilize ChatGPT, an AI chatbot, to help with administrative and clerical tasks. Yokosuka’s authorities claim the shrinking population of Japan has been a key factor in the decision to introduce the chatbot.
OpenAI is the company behind the ChatGPT artificial intelligence technology. CEO Sam Altman has toured the country, showing how local authorities can benefit from ChatGPT. Italy recently became the first Western country to cut off access to OpenAI’s ChatGPT due to data privacy fears.
Takayuki Samukawa, a representative with Yokosuka’s digital management department, said that “with the population decreasing, the number of employees is limited. However, there are many administrative challenges. So we aim to use useful Information Communication Technology tools, like ChatGPT, to free up human resources for things that can only be done in a person-to-person format.”
Using ChatGPT to assist employees with administrative duties is not the only way Yokosuka hopes to combat its decreasing population. Yokosuka currently has a population of around 376,171, however its been shown that number is likely to decrease even further due to natural causes and lack of industry and tourism.
Another AI chatbot software developing fast is the much-touted TruthGPT, the brainchild of multibillionaire Elon Musk. TruthGPT has been developed with the intention of finding the maximum truth-seeking algorithms. It is currently being used to teach newbies how to use the OpenAI Chatbot to make more than Rs. 28 lakhs.
Overall, Yokosuka City will be hoping that its trial of the ChatGPT gives them the solution they need to manage their municipal duties effectively at a time when manpower is in short supply. If the results are positive, the Japanese government may look towards making the use of AI chatbot technology the norm.
