Jamaican Consulate in New York to introduce AI-generated responses to callers
Published:Tuesday | September 24, 2024 | 12:10 AMLester Hinds/Gleaner Writer
Callers to the Jamaican Consulate in New York will shortly have their most basic questions about passports and visas answered by an automated voice.
The consulate unveiled an example of the coming approach to answering callers’ questions during a town hall meeting in the Bronx on Saturday night, attended by Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith.
People in attendance heard Holness’ voice answering simple questions about passports and visas on a screen during the event, exhibiting the new approach to callers to the consulate.
The consulate stressed that the use of the prime minister’s voice was for the demonstration only.
According to Consul General Alsion Wilson, the new approach is to take some of the burden off the staff at the consulate in responding to calls from members of the public.
She said that last year the consulate received over 2.2 million calls, but the staff were only able to answer some 54,000 of these calls. The Consulate in New York covers 33 states in the United States, Bermuda and Puerto Rico, making it the largest Jamaican overseas mission.
“The number of calls has led to frustration on the part of callers to the consulate who are seeking basic information on passport and visas and increased the burden on staff members to respond to as many calls as possible. With the new automated generated answers to some basic questions about passport and visas we hope to provide answers and lessening the wait for someone to answer their questions,” she said.
No date for implementation of the new automated system has been announced but it should be in place before the end of the year.
Discussions are still to take place with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade on the new system and how to move from the demonstration stage to implementation.
Christopher Benjamin, community relations officer at the consulate, said that, at the outset, the automated voice answering questions will be interactive online.
“We will expand it to fully integrate with our telephone system later,” he told The Gleaner.
The automated voice will answer such questions as how to go about applying for a passport; how to access other consulate services; and will later expand to tracking passports once the application process has been completed.
“The new system is intended to assist in answering simple questions,” Benjamin told The Gleaner.
The coming automated answering system is just one of the many changes that Wilson has implemented at the consulate since taking over.
Earlier this year, she moved the consulate to more spacious accommodations at 300 East 42nd Street in Midtown East, providing greater comfort for people visiting the consulate as well as opening up more windows to better serve the public.
There are several enhanced security features at the location to allow for the safety and security of the staff and visitors to the consulate offices, according to the consul general. While she did not spell out the enhanced security features, The Gleaner understands that one measure to make the staff more secure will be bulletproof glass in the waiting area.
The consulate in Miami is also exploring the use of AI-generated answers to basic questions about passport and visas, according to Consul General Oliver Mair.