How a COVID-19 Chatbot Keeps You Informed
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- The Challenges of COVID-19 Information
- The Solution: Cause-i-Bot
- The Architecture of Cause-i-Bot
- Multi-Language Support
- Content Management and Automation
- Continuous Training of the Bots
- The Non-profit Initiative and Partnerships
- Timeline and Expansion Plans
- Conclusion
Article
Introduction
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an overwhelming amount of information circulating, making it difficult for individuals to find accurate and reliable answers to their questions. Public authorities are inundated with inquiries, often leaving people without the information they need. To address this problem, a non-profit initiative called Cause-i-Bot has been developed. Cause-i-Bot is a chatbot or conversational AI that aggregates information from various reliable sources and makes it accessible through multiple channels.
The Challenges of COVID-19 Information
The COVID-19 crisis has presented numerous challenges when it comes to providing accurate and up-to-date information. There is a plethora of conflicting and opinionated information available, leading to misinformation and confusion. Public authorities are flooded with requests, making it difficult for them to address everyone's questions effectively. Additionally, the information available comes from different sources, making it challenging to consolidate and provide consistent answers.
The Solution: Cause-i-Bot
Cause-i-Bot aims to tackle the challenges of COVID-19 information by bringing together reliable sources of information and making it accessible through a chatbot. The chatbot is available on various channels such as websites, SMS, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger. By aggregating information in a single database, Cause-i-Bot ensures that users have access to accurate and up-to-date information.
The Architecture of Cause-i-Bot
The architecture of Cause-i-Bot consists of several components working together to provide a seamless user experience. The system relies on Channel providers such as SMS aggregators and Facebook for the different communication channels. Chatbots are used as points of entry for users, equipped with natural language processing (NLP) models for language classification, entity extraction, and sentiment analysis. The conversational engine, although currently rule-Based, guides the conversation based on user inputs. Additionally, there is a knowledge base, content crawlers, and a bot training console to improve the bot's effectiveness.
Multi-Language Support
Cause-i-Bot recognizes the need for multi-language support due to the global nature of the pandemic. The international version of the bot currently supports six languages: English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Russian, and Chinese Mandarin. However, providing support for multiple languages poses challenges in terms of content management, maintaining separate language models, and handling different channels' capabilities.
Content Management and Automation
Keeping the information provided by Cause-i-Bot up-to-date is crucial. Currently, the process involves manual checking of reliable sources and updating the knowledge base accordingly. However, there are plans to automate this process by developing algorithms that detect changes in information sources and automatically update the bot's knowledge base. Continuous training of the bots is also essential to improve their performance and accuracy. Conversations with users are logged and used to retrain the models, making the bots more effective over time.
The Non-profit Initiative and Partnerships
Cause-i-Bot is a non-profit initiative led by a startup called ROW.AI. It is supported by various partners, including speech technology provider Reed Speaker, AI service provider Impulse, a German call center provider, and a digital transformation company. The initiative is looking for additional partners in areas such as machine learning data, speech-to-text technology, cloud hosting, and media promotion. The goal is to cover the expenses of the initiative and make Cause-i-Bot widely known and accessible.
Timeline and Expansion Plans
Cause-i-Bot has already launched an international version in English and German, as well as a Portuguese version for Portugal. The initiative has ambitious plans to expand the bot's coverage to 28 European countries, including all EU countries, Switzerland, and the UK. The expansion will be approached region by region, with a focus on maintaining the accuracy and relevance of the information provided.
Conclusion
Cause-i-Bot is a valuable tool in combating the challenges of COVID-19 information. By consolidating reliable sources and making them accessible through a chatbot, Cause-i-Bot provides individuals with accurate and up-to-date answers to their questions. The initiative is driven by a non-profit vision, aiming to make a difference in communication during this crisis and future crises. Contributions from volunteers, partnerships, and sponsorships are essential to the success and scalability of Cause-i-Bot.