The Government of the City of Buenos Aires has made significant strides in enhancing citizen services through the introduction of an innovative AI assistant named Boti. Launched in February 2019, Botiis integrated into WhatsApp, which is the most popular messaging platform in Argentina. This initiative reflects the government’s commitment to improving accessibility to vital information and streamlining interactions between the city administration and its residents.

Boti provides citizens with a one-stop solution for a multitude of inquiries, such as renewing a driver’s license, accessing healthcare services, and learning about local cultural events. This AI assistant has quickly become the go-to communication channel for over three million conversations each month, highlighting its effectiveness and growing user base.

As Boti continues to evolve, the Government of Buenos Aires aims to deliver more sophisticated conversational experiences by utilizing the latest advancements in generative AI technologies. Citizens often encounter challenges in navigating the intricate bureaucratic landscape, which encompasses more than 1,300 government procedures, each with unique guidelines and exceptions. The government recognized the potential for Boti to enhance accessibility by directly addressing citizens’ questions and guiding them seamlessly to the appropriate procedures.

To realize this vision, the Government of Buenos Aires collaborated with the AWS Generative AI Innovation Center (GenAIIC) to pilot a solution levered on Amazon Bedrock and LangGraph. This collaborative effort produced an agentic AI assistant with two main components: an input guardrail system and a government procedures agent. The input guardrail employs a custom LLM classifier that evaluates incoming user queries, determining their appropriateness before approval or rejection. Once approved, an advanced government procedures agent retrieves pertinent procedural information and crafts tailored responses.

One striking feature of this solution is the novel reasoning retrieval system designed to enhance the accuracy of information retrieval. When a user query is processed, the system first provides comparative summaries to clarify similar procedures. Subsequently, it employs a large language model (LLM) to extract the most relevant information, ensuring that responses remain high-quality and contextually appropriate. The final output is articulated in Boti’s signature style, marked by short, useful messages delivered in Argentina’s distinct Rioplatense Spanish dialect. The developers paid special attention to unique linguistic elements such as the voseo—using “vos” instead of “tú”—and the periphrastic future tense, which adds local flavor to the assistant’s communications.

Throughout this post, the team delves into the specifics of the implemented agentic AI system, beginning with an overview of its design and highlighting the principal features aimed at addressing user needs. They provide an in-depth discussion of both the guardrail and agent components, assessing their performance and effectiveness. Their evaluations indicate that the guardrails successfully block harmful content, including offensive language, problematic opinions, and unethical behavior. The agent demonstrates impressive levels of accuracy, achieving up to 98.9% in retrieving and delivering the correct procedural information.

Boti represents a significant leap forward in public service accessibility, effectively utilizing generative AI technology to facilitate smoother interactions between citizens and government entities. By empowering individuals to easily access essential information and streamline administrative processes, the City Government enhances transparency and fosters a more informed populace. The implementation of this intelligent assistant indicates a promising future for local governance and the potential for further advancements in AI capabilities across different sectors.

As Boti continues to grow and improve, citizens of Buenos Aires can expect an even more enriched experience when interacting with their government. With advancements such as these, cities across the globe may look to Buenos Aires as a model for incorporating AI solutions that emphasize practicality and enhanced service delivery to citizens.