We are thrilled to announce the launch of our AI-powered virtual assistant, "Ask Elby!" This beta version of the chatbot will be available on the City of Long Beach website for 30 days, from November 7 to December 6. Our goal with "Ask Elby!" is to enhance the user experience by providing quick and easy access to information and resources directly from the website. During this initial 30-day trial period, the chatbot will support English; however, it will support Spanish, Tagalog, and Khmer once we permanently deploy it to production.     

Project History:  

As part of the 2023 Smart City Challenge, the Technology & Innovation Department (TID) sought ways to leverage AI in making the City's website more accessible for users. Through this process, we selected Citibot from responses to our challenge-based request for proposals (RFP). We conducted initial testing with ten resident participants to get feedback from a diverse range of perspectives. Participants found the chatbot efficient and easy to use but recommended improved visibility and feedback modules. Launching a large-scale beta-test version of the chatbot will further assist us in improving the chatbot and gaining valuable insight and feedback regarding the product's functionalities. You can provide feedback on Elby by filling out this form!

We look forward to learning about user experiences with the chatbot to help us shape the future of digital services in Long Beach. 

Try it out and let us know what you think. 🤖🌐