London boroughs new face of customer services is a bot
The London borough of Enfield has enlisted artificial intelligence Amelia to take on customer service tasks for its residents starting late this year.
Key takeaways
- The London borough of Enfield has enlisted artificial intelligence Amelia to take on customer service tasks for its residents starting late this year.
- IPsoft CEO Frank Lansink says that Amelia is the perfect solution to the changing demands of public services.
- Lansink says Amelia will drive costs down while providing residents better, effortless interaction at their own convenience.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2016) 'London boroughs new face of customer services is a bot', 311 Institute, 20 September. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/london-borough-of-enfield-turns-to-ai-bot-amelia-to-change-the-face-of-public-services/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
The London borough of Enfield has enlisted artificial intelligence Amelia to take on customer service tasks for its residents starting late this year.
Developed by IPSoft, Amelia is a cognitive agent - that's bot to you, I and most people, capable of automating certain tasks as well as learning from its interactions. As to what makes Amelia a competent customer service asset to the council, IPSoft said in a statement that she is “capable of analysing natural language, she understands context, applies logic, learns, resolves problems and even senses emotions.”
Amelia currently handles cognitive customer experience for professional services company Accenture and financial consultancy firm Deloitte but this will be her first public sector outing.
“From Alexa to Viv, the world is now full of voice-enabled cloud-connected assistants. But Amelia is more than merely a series of speech-savvy algorithms — she’s Siri with a doctorate in psychology,” said IPsoft. She also speaks in natural human language.
IPsoft CEO Frank Lansink says that Amelia is the perfect solution to the changing demands of public services. She will be assisting residents in completing applications, finding information, and will help simplify the council’s internal processes. Plans to have Amelia streamline authentication of permits and license applications are also being considered.
Lansink says Amelia will drive costs down while providing residents better, effortless interaction at their own convenience.
“With the rise of powerful cognitive platforms such as Amelia, government organizations have an opportunity to completely reimagine how frontline public services are delivered.”
FAQ
Why does this matter?
The London borough of Enfield has enlisted artificial intelligence Amelia to take on customer service tasks for its residents starting late this year.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 20 September 2016. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2016). London boroughs new face of customer services is a bot. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/london-borough-of-enfield-turns-to-ai-bot-amelia-to-change-the-face-of-public-services/
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