Released
under
Term of Refer
the ence (ToR)
Document Official
Marion - Pilot project Conversational companion
for Government information Information
09 July 2024
Draft
Act
1982
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Background & Objective
This pilot project is a collaboration between Microsoft, Callaghan Innovation and supported by the
Released
Whāriki Māori Business Network, with the goal of developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and
demo-ready version for presentation at the AI Summit on 11 September 2024. The MVP will explore the
concept of creating a single AI-based service that provides information on publicly available government
services through a “conversational companion” experience.
An AI-based conversational companion will provide accurate and referenceable information about New
Zealand’s public services through natural language conversations. It will use Retrieval Augmented
Generation (RAG) techniques to enhance the accuracy and reliability of the generative AI model by
fetching facts from website sources.
under
Whāriki will play a crucial role in this project by contributing specific use cases, particularly related to
government support and funding opportunities for Māori businesses. This collaboration aims to ensure
the cultural relevance and appropriateness of the content, providing a comprehensive and valuable tool
for all users.
the
Scope
Official
• Limiting the scope to business value-added content from a selection of government websites.
• Featuring multimodal input and output (e.g., text and speech) and multilingual support (e.g.,
English and text-based Te Reo). This pilot will be developed using Microsoft’s’ te reo Māori
language model. For clarification, Te Reo speech will not be used, as Microsoft’s speech
technology is currently only about 75% accurate and there are issues with dialect variations,
Information
making it not accurate enough to meet Whāriki and the Māori communities’ cultural
expectations.
• Developing and deploying Azure OpenAI services and PowerApps.
• Developing a user interface for accessing and interacting with indexed data.
• Providing a seamless user experience through effective UX/UI design, including customisation
options for appearance, voice, talking speed, etc.
• Ensuring the security and integrity of the indexed data.
Timeline
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1982
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Roles and Responsibilities
under
Microsoft
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Technical Expert Advice: Providing guidance on the technical aspects of the project.
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Access to Technology: Offering access to necessary technologies required for project
execution.
the
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Computation Credits: Supplying computation resources and credits to facilitate project
development.
Official
Callaghan Innovation
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Project Management: Overseeing project planning, execution, and delivery.
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Security Oversight: Ensuring all security protocols are followed and the data is protected.
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Technical Engineer: Providing technical expertise and development support.
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UX/UI Design: Designing a user-friendly interface for accessing and interacting with the indexed
Information
data.
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Culture and Te Reo advice: Provide culture advise and support the bi-lingual testing of the MVP.
Whāriki Māori Business Network
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Use Case Contribution: Providing specific use cases, particularly related to government support
and funding opportunities for Māori businesses.
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Cultural Support: Assisting in the cultural relevance and appropriateness of the content.
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Testing and Feedback: Participating in the testing phase and providing feedback on the user
experience and functionality.
Act
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Resource: up to 4 hours a week to support the project.
Communication Plan
1982
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Weekly Meetings: Regular updates and progress tracking through weekly meetings.
•
Project Management Tool: Utilising a project management tool for task assignment and
tracking – MS Planner.
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•
Reporting: Monthly progress reports submitted to all parties.
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under
the Official
Information
Act 1982
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Explore the unknown, pursue excellence
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Document Outline
