Singapore to use intelligent 'chatbots' to deliver public service

Singapore has announced a new partnership with Microsoft to create a digital government services platform that will shift towards conversational computing. Announcing the initiative at the World Cities Summit in the city-state on 12 July, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister-In-Charge of the Smart Nation Initiative, said the new medium, conceptually referred to as "Conversations as a Platform" will use chatbots -- intelligent software programmes that simulate human behaviour. "I believe there are more intuitive ways for government services to be delivered to our citizens," Dr Balakrishnan said. The chatbots, which combine human language, artificial intelligence and machine learning, are envisioned to make public and business transactions simpler, more efficient, and more consistent. "Everybody expects responsive and personalised interactions in real time. The recent quantum improvement of natural language processing means that'conversations' will be the new medium," he said.