Hybrid AI/ML platform for the automation of administrative tasks

Summary: The integration of AI technologies has enabled the automation of administrative tasks, document verification, and data input, thereby releasing government resources to concentrate on more intricate and value-added activities. This shift towards automation has led to enhanced efficiency, reduced operational expenses, and expedited service delivery, ultimately bolstering the overall productivity of government entities.

Client: 

AGESIC, Uruguay’s Agency for Electronic Government and Information and Knowledge Society, established in 2005 under the President’s Office, is responsible for leading e-government strategy and implementation. This initiative aims to create an efficient, citizen-centric state.

Problem Statement: 

As the leading IT innovation authority in the country, and with numerous government organizations looking to AGESIC for AI guidance, it was essential for the agency to collaborate within a unified, scalable environment that also ensured enhanced security. AGESIC aimed to digitize all government services, and this initiative involves automating the classification of service desk requests using AI techniques such as ML and Natural Language Processing (NLP). By employing AI tools, the initiative seeks to reduce costs, optimize resources, and improve response times, benefiting both citizens and public institutions as service providers. 

Results: 

• The AI solution has effectively automated the classification of 82% of AGESIC’s Service Desk requests through its comprehensive end-to-end platform. 
• AGESIC’s users experienced a significant reduction in the time taken to handle service tickets through automation. An AI-driven platform now resolves tickets in less than one percent of the time compared to the traditional manual process.
• Reduced operational costs.
• This platform processes over 33,000 requests annually. 
• Performance indicators are used to monitor results in real time, allowing for prompt improvements and expansions based on new needs and data generated by the platform.

AI Solution Overview:

AGESIC extended its AI platform capabilities with Red Hat OpenShift AI, a flexible, scalable MLOps platform for building, deploying and managing AI-enabled applications across a variety of environments. 

With the integration of Red Hat OpenShift AI, AGESIC has initiated the automation of creating and developing AI models, along with managing their lifecycles. This has led to the standardization of AI usage across all Uruguayan government agencies. OpenShift has introduced a containerized approach for managing workloads and automating processes, while integrating development, operations, and system security functions on a single platform. 

The centralized system allows the Service Desk manager to monitor platform operations in real-time, generating and running various pre-set performance indicators. Service Desk technicians supervise the platform, helping to identify incorrectly allocated cases or requests. 

Supported by the National Supercomputing Center of Uruguay (ClusterUY), the solution operates 24/7 using resources from the Presidency’s Cloud infrastructure. Its open design and reliance on open-source tools make it easily replicable for other organizations facing similar issues.

References: 

1. Driving AI adoption in the public sector: Uruguay’s efforts on capacity-building, trust, and AI ethics. https://oxfordinsights.com/insights/spotlight-series-uruguay/
2.  Artificial Intelligence and Participation in Latin America: The National AI Strategies. https://www.derechosdigitales.org/wp-content/uploads/01_EN_Artificial-Intelligence-and-Participation-in-Latam_FINAL-1.pdf
3. Citizen Services AI Market Trends. https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/citizen-services-ai-market/market-trends
4.  Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Classification of Requests at the Citizen Services Desk. https://oecd-opsi.org/innovations/ai-service-requests-classification/
5. Red Hat Helps AGESIC Scale AI Innovation Across Uruguay. https://ih.advfn.com/stock-market/stock-news/93792540/red-hat-helps-agesic-scale-ai-innovation-across-ur

Industry: Public Services 

Vendor: Red Hat, Inc.

Client: The Electronic Government and Information and Knowledge Society Agency (AGESIC)

Publication Date: 2021