Engineer launches Saudi GovtGPT, for government inquiries

Fahd Alhazmi, a Saudi engineer, has launched a modern interface to help Saudi citizens and expats configure all their governmental service needs.

SaudiGovtGPT is the first AI platform in the region that is specifically tailored for Saudi citizen and residents.

Avidly following the advancements in AI, especially the GPT family of models, Alhazmi believes they are massively undervalued despite the current hype. Their great impact on the economy and the job market, he predicts, will be realized in the next few years.
Alhazmi told Arab News: “What I really hope is that this new wave of applications will boost the investment into basic models. While we do have agencies that are (incorporating) AI in government, we haven’t yet seen a local model that can use and understand Arabic … We do have the talent and resources (to do so).

“A lot of people need an interface for the most basic things, or something they might be using daily. From my experience, friends and relatives have had issues with some of the government services, because there are a lot of services and ministries.”
Often, these services overlap, requiring the individual or company to reach out to several sectors in order to find the information they need. The platform streamlines the processes in one conclusive statement.

While issuing a visa to a particular country or acquiring a drivers’ license is fairly straightforward for locals, this can be a helpful tool for businesses or multi-step processes.

Saudi GovtGPT can also help expats, tourists, and non-citizen residents to navigate the ins-and-outs of government procedures.

The platform is based on the original GPT model, a language prediction model designed to generate text outputs using machine learning. The model is able to pick up on different Arabic dialects as well.

Alhazmi explained that it is aligned with basic instructions, such as refusing to answer any questions with unknown information, in order to ensure accuracy. However, the interface is still in its initial stages of development.
Amongst 2,000 governmental services, the tool is able to accurately answer around 70 percent of queries, Alhazmi explained.

So why not simply use Google for their questions?

What makes the interface distinct is its refrain from using keyword matching such as various other search engines, but rather functions by semantic search, which relies on identifying and understanding the intent of the user.

With AI platforms such as Chat GPT and OpenAI taking over the globe, striking a particular interest due to their accessibility, users have shown their receptiveness to newer technologies in navigating everyday life.

Alhazmi added: “It’s been really incredible. I wasn’t anticipating this sort of reaction … This definitely speaks to a need in the market for such kinds of services. For a lot of people, it showcased what this new wave of AI applications can provide.

“Most of these (AI platforms), you’ll find in English, and this is probably one of the first ‘aha!’ moments for users to put something in Arabic and find some cool results.”