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Asked by
Francisco Hernandez
List MP · Green Party
Question
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How, if at all, has artificial intelligence been deployed in a customer service function in the Minister’s departments, agencies, crown entities and any other bodies that the Minister is responsible for, if any?
Answered by
Hon Penny Simmonds
Member for Invercargill · National Party · Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology
Answer
As Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, I have no responsibility for any government departments or ministries. With regard to Crown Entities and any other bodies under the Science, Innovation and Technology portfolio for which I am responsible, I am advised that Callaghan Innovation designed an AI solution called GovGPT in October 2024, which was an externally facing tool designed to provide accurate and referenceable information from different Government websites through natural language conversations, to help businesses access information faster and more easily than through a browser. The pilot was closed in March 2025. No other agency has advised they have deployed artificial intelligence in a customer service function.