A community at the forefront of technology and innovation, the Alpes-Maritimes Department, fully engaged since the beginning of the COVID-19 health crisis, wanted to support the population by providing them with an innovative tool: a virtual assistant.
For Charles Ange Ginésy, President of the Alpes-Maritimes Departmental Council, and President of the Syndicate for the House of Artificial Intelligence (S2MIA):
“The exceptional health crisis we are currently experiencing raises many questions for everyone. For this reason, I decided to offer on the Department’s website, “Nicole”, a virtual assistant whose mission is to inform the citizens of Alpe about the measures taken by the Department.
This virtual agent was developed in collaboration with the company PER CONSEIL, modeled after “Sophia”. This assistant, capable of providing information about the Department, was presented during the inauguration of the House of Artificial Intelligence (MIA) on March 10th.
“Nicole” is an artificial intelligence. She relies on machine learning and uses a technology called natural language processing (NLP), which enables her to understand users’ questions. She learns continuously based on the data she accumulates when queried, even when she does not know the answer.
As a proponent of responsible and ethical AI, I wanted this tool to assist citizens in their information searches and accompany them in their procedures. With this innovative and intuitive tool, the Alpes-Maritimes Department is thus the first community in France to offer such a tool to its population in this health crisis context!
This initiative is fully in line with the dynamic I launched in 2018 with the digital transition policy, the SMART Deal. Through the development of responsible AI, we will be able to address the challenges of the territory and improve the quality of life for the population.”
