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America.gov

778 points · 742 comments · plesiv

  1. mellosouls · · focus · HN ↗
    I haven't tried this but in principle I think this sort of finding a needle in a haystack situation (finding the correct path to assistance in a government service) is one of the rare circumstances where a well-crafted chatbot can be genuinely useful rather than just irritating.
    1. scun · · focus · HN ↗
      or a well-crafted static website
      1. nfw2 · · focus · HN ↗
        no, static documents are not an ideal way to find a needle in a haystack
        1. graemep · · focus · HN ↗
          They can be with decent search and if well organised. gov.uk works pretty well as it is and I suspect adding a chatbot would make it worse.
          1. SkyBelow · · focus · HN ↗
            A decent search and good organization can help a more technical person find what they are looking for, but may not work well for someone with far less experience in such matters. Look at how well google returns (or at least use to) results for someone with google-fu verses someone who queried in the same fashion they would've asked a teacher or such.

            A chat bot, in theory, can help enable someone who isn't as familiar with searching, doesn't know the relevant terms, or lacks a sufficient literacy level to efficiently use an otherwise well organized site. The catch is that a poorly performing chat bot can just as easily mislead such a person.

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