From 'having machines' to 'providing services,' the key step in enhancing government efficiency has arrived.
Illustration 1: AI digital humans assisting the public in service halls.
Public services are increasingly digital, but in many service halls, a problem persists: despite numerous self-service terminals, the public still prefers to queue for window services. The reason is simple—many people do not know where to start, what documents to prepare, or how to fill out forms. Machines can handle tasks, but they don’t necessarily make it easy for users.
AI digital humans are designed to bridge this gap by transforming cold menu operations into natural dialogue guidance. Users can ask questions as if speaking to a staff member, and the digital human guides them through queries, reservations, printing, and form filling using voice, text, and process prompts.
Why Do Self-Service Terminals Need AI Digital Humans?
Traditional self-service terminals are often 'function-oriented,' with multiple page levels, technical terms, and weak prompts. They are convenient for those familiar with the processes but pose a high barrier to entry for seniors, first-time users, and cross-regional service seekers.
The significance of AI digital humans is in transforming 'users finding their own way' into 'the system proactively asking needs,' turning 'users understanding policies on their own' into 'digital humans explaining using simple language,' and changing 'repeatedly filling out forms if wrong' to 'real-time reminders during processing.'
Illustration 2: Flowchart of AI digital human public service operations.
In service halls, AI digital humans can typically handle these high-frequency tasks:
- Consultations on services
- Explanations of required documents
- Guidance for form filling
- Scheduling and inquiry services
- Answers to common questions
- Reminders for complex business transfers to human staff
This means that self-service terminals are no longer just machines but more like standardized, replicable, and continuously optimized front desk assistants.
Efficiency Gains Start with Reducing Repetitive Consultations
The efficiency bottleneck in service halls is often not the effort of window staff but the time-consuming repetitive consultations. Questions such as 'How do I check my social security?' or 'What documents are needed for a business license change?' are simple, yet they recur daily. Digital humans can handle routine inquiries, freeing up human windows from repetitive answers and allowing them to focus on more complex tasks requiring judgment and coordination.
Direct Changes After Implementation
- Average waiting times for the public have significantly decreased.
- The frequency of self-service terminal usage has increased.
- The pressure on human windows has reduced.
- The rate of one-time completions has improved.
- User acceptance of self-service has enhanced.
More importantly, it revitalizes existing equipment. In the past, many self-service terminals could handle tasks but were often underutilized due to users' reluctance or inability to use them. Digital humans bridge this gap from 'can do' to 'easy to do.'
Illustration 3: Digital humans diverting window business and reducing queue times.
The Key to Effectiveness Is Knowledge Base and Operations
Naturally, AI digital humans are not a panacea. Simply placing a virtual figure on the screen without an updated policy knowledge base, integration with business systems, or backup mechanisms can result in 'appearing smart but unable to answer.' A truly useful government digital human must understand colloquial user questions, accurately answer policy and document requirements, and guide users through corresponding processes.
Therefore, the core of a government digital human project is not just 'buying a digital human' but building a service system that includes a knowledge base, business systems, and backup mechanisms.
County-level Government Services Need This Capability
Many believe AI digital humans are better suited for large service halls in first-tier cities. However, from actual needs, smaller cities and county governments require this capability even more.
County windows have limited staff, a diverse age structure of users, and higher demands for policy explanations and document guidance. AI digital humans can serve as important supplementary tools, especially for frequent scenarios like social security, medical insurance, real estate, market supervision, public security household registration, etc.
Illustration 4: AI digital human service scenarios in county-level government service halls.
The Two Pre-requisites for Successful Implementation
- Localization: Support local dialects, policies, and practices; cannot use a one-size-fits-all approach.
- Ongoing Operations: Update knowledge bases when policies change; continuously optimize answers to frequently asked questions; use equipment data to guide service process improvements.
From 'Selling Equipment' to 'Providing Ongoing Services'
The effectiveness of AI digital humans heavily depends on long-term operations, including maintaining a knowledge base, optimizing Q&A, adjusting processes, and managing equipment. A one-time delivery cannot guarantee sustained usability.
In the future, competition in government digital human services will shift from 'having or not having' to 'how well they are used, whether they can be continuously operated, and whether they truly enhance user experience.'
The Value of AI Digital Humans Is Making Public Services Easier to Use
AI digital humans entering service halls are not meant to replace all human windows or showcase technology. Their most practical value is in lowering the barrier for users to access self-service devices, allowing simple tasks to be handled quickly and complex ones to be accurately transferred to human staff.
The ultimate goal of public service digitization is not to present more screens but to make every interaction clearer, smoother, and less time-consuming.