Chatbots for Smarter Cities

AI Chatbots are not just a tech trend. Many SMEs and corporations have incorporated this technology into its processes with increasing success. With major backers from the likes of Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, etc. chatbots will continue to interact with us. Creedence Research estimates the global market for the tech to be at over $1 billion by 2023.  It has now become apparent that chatbots can make cities smarter too. By employing chatbots, cities can improve the speed and effectiveness of their interactions with residents. In addition to allowing residents to avoid long lines, chatbots possess unique technological capacities, like the ability to communicate with foreign language speakers. Currently, there are a number of startups specializing in the various sectors of the public space.Government RegistrationAiRelo Founder Mario PaladiniBerlinAiRelo is a multi-language Bot that assists with the city registration process for those who have moved to a new city, as well as to those who simply need to change their living address. It provides the most relevant information for every city, so people do not need to waste time going to different sources and checking their authenticity. In NYC, AiRelo assists with the IDNYC Card. It is also available in other European cities such as Berlin and Munich, but soon it will be available in more international cities with features that allow every engaged citizen to suggest and apply for a new city. Public HealthBabylon HealthFounder Ali ParsaLondonBabylon Health, the U.K. startup that offers a digital healthcare app via a mixture of  AI and video and text consultations with doctors and specialists. Babylon has many features for private health clients but its AI-powered “triage” service won a six month trial in Jan 2018 with the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. The NHS is trialing the service as a replacement or supporting feature to its 111 helpline that offers advice and health service contacts. The public can now message the chatbot to check on symptoms instantaneously and receive the appropriate course of action. Local/City GovernmentReply.aiFounders Clara de Soto, Erica Mannherz, Omar Pera Mira, Pablo PeraNew York CityReply.ai allows officials and city departments create SMS and instant messaging assistants for cities. The service is downloaded as a mobile app and can be applied to numerous use cases such as government surveys, notifications, data collection and response planning. Reply.ai is an alum of the R/GA accelerator in NYC and has now developed its business model to include businesses and corporations.