Buenos Aires City: How generative AI is revolutionizing the lives of millions with Azure OpenAI Services

The Government of the City of Buenos Aires faced a challenge in the management of multiple service channels and in the personalization of key services for residents and tourists.

Boti with ChatGPT, developed with Microsoft Azure OpenAI Services, is a chatbot that centralizes data, enables natural language interactions, and scales to handle high demands.

Boti manages 2M queries per month without human intervention, alleviating the operational burden by 50%, improving the citizen experience and increasing efficiency.

Boti was our bridge between the government and the citizens when we needed it most.

Pedro Alessandri, Undersecretary of Smart City, Government of the City of Buenos Aires

A smarter Buenos Aires

Imagine a city where running errands, getting key information, or planning your day is as easy as sending a message. In Buenos Aires, this is a reality. Boti, the AI-powered chatbot, handles over 2 million queries per month without human intervention. With the integration of Azure OpenAI Services and other tools, Boti has evolved with ChatGPT to offer more personalized interactions, adapting to the specific needs of each citizen. This transformation has enhanced conversational experience, making responses more relevant and contextual.

A user holds a mobile device where her conversation with Boti is shown. When asked about what to do in the historic center of the city, the chatbot suggests the best options.

Challenges that required innovation

Before Boti, citizen services in large cities faced common difficulties: long lines, saturated communication channels, and a poorly integrated experience. With more than 6 million people commuting daily through Buenos Aires, these bottlenecks represented a significant challenge for the Government of the City of Buenos Aires (GCBA). It was essential to modernize communication and ensure that no resident was left without an answer.

During the pandemic, Boti established itself as a fundamental channel, providing updates on COVID-19 symptoms and prevention, monitoring mild cases, granting appointments for vaccination, delivering test results, and issuing health certificates with updated information. "Boti was our bridge between the government and the citizens when we needed it most," says Pedro Alessandri, Undersecretary of Smart City of the GCBA.

With the advent of large language models (such as ChatGPT), the GCBA decided to take the chatbot to the next level, transforming it into a system capable of having more personalized and natural conversations. Boti with ChatGPT not only responds but also personalizes interactions in real time, adapting to the specific needs of each resident when exploring the city and taking advantage of its tourist and cultural offerings.

Generative technology allowed us to demonstrate the need to centralize all government information in a single repository. This not only improves the efficiency in its distribution to different channels but also enables personalized and more effective experiences for citizens, such as Boti's with ChatGPT.

Julieta Rappan, General Director of Digital Channels, Government of the City of Buenos Aires

The engine behind Boti with ChatGPT

The project was led by the Secretariat of Innovation and Digital Transformation of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires. Currently, it focuses on the field of tourism, an ideal sector to personalize responses and experiment without compromising sensitive data.

Julieta Rappan, General Director of Digital Channels of the GCBA, explains: "Generative technology allowed us to demonstrate the need to centralize all government information in a single repository. This not only improves the efficiency in its distribution to different channels but also enables personalized and more effective experiences for citizens, such as Boti's with ChatGPT."

The project involved a multidisciplinary team that trained the model with an extensive knowledge base on the city's rich tourism offerings, ensuring accurate and relevant answers. Additionally, the ability to interpret and respond in both Spanish and English offers a more accessible and personalized experience to an international audience. The platform's flexibility, supported by Microsoft Azure, will enable it to incorporate new languages in the future according to the needs of the city's population and visitors. This reinforces its role as an inclusive and global resource.

Security and privacy are ensured through Azure's native capabilities, complying with strict local and international regulations. This robust infrastructure ensures that users' information is protected and strengthens Buenos Aires' position as a smart and connected city.

A foreign user uses his mobile phone to interact with Boti in English. When you ask about activities for your first visit to the city, the chatbot proposes the best options.

50% operational load reduction and 6,539 real-time interactions in one night

Since its launch, Boti with ChatGPT has managed more than 17,000 queries without human intervention. This has reduced the operational load of the teams by 50%, improving the conversational flow in the chatbot.

In addition to optimizing resources, Boti with ChatGPT encourages citizen participation. During Museum Night, 2,576 people interacted with the ChatGPT-powered experience, generating 6,539 real-time interactions. Combining the traditional chatbot sessions and the new ChatGPT experience, the total rose to 37,000, helping to personalize itineraries and ensure a seamless experience for thousands of visitors.

A very Buenos Aires ally

The implementation of Boti with ChatGPT included several advanced techniques developed by Microsoft in collaboration with its partner Pi Data Strategy & Consulting to ensure accurate, secure, and politically sensitive responses—essential aspects in a government environment. The system was trained on an extensive government database, ensuring that the responses were relevant.

"Ensuring that the system respected the tone and voice of the product—'voseo' from the River Plate, inclusive language, and the use of emojis—was a key challenge," says Macarena Blasi, Chief of Staff of the General Directorate of Digital Channels. This allows Boti to connect with diverse audiences, from young people to older adults with less digital experience.

Boti's project with generative AI was added to the previous benefits already offered by the system, such as the renewal of driver's licenses, the consultation of public transport schedules, and the streamlining of procedures for entrepreneurs. Additionally, it made it possible to offer personalized recommendations for tourists, which strengthened the citizens' perception of the government.

The future is more connected

Boti's success with ChatGPT reflects the GCBA's commitment to innovation and continuous improvement. "The key is to continue learning and adapting. We incorporate new content, optimize the system, and always look for ways to improve the experience of citizens," says Alessandri. Thus, Buenos Aires is solidified as a smart city, where technology not only solves problems but also simplifies people's lives. The next step? Continue to build a future where every interaction is faster, more personalized, and more human.