Wednesday 10, May
Berlin’s answer to ChatGPT doesn’t know very much about Berlin
Who says Berlin is stuck in the past when it comes to Digitalisierung?
Perhaps Bobbi isn’t smarter than your average bear, after all.
While it might be true that it’s often difficult to pay with card and that for some reason people in this city still seem to think the fax machine is an acceptable way to communicate two decades into the 21st century – the city of Berlin is nevertheless making bold strides into the future. To that end, meet Bobbi: Berlin’s new chatbot.
Represented by a little cartoon bear avatar wearing glasses, Bobbi is meant to be a virtual citizen’s service assistant who can communicate with visitors in nine languages including German, English, Polish, Russian and Portuguese . However, many are noticing that Bobbi doesn’t seem to know a great deal about the city.
When the Tagesspiegel asked him, Bobbi didn’t know that Berlin had a new mayor. And his answers to several other questions are pretty odd too. We asked Bobbi a simple question: “Does Hasenheide park close to the public at night?”
Bobbi replies: “I have found several suitable services for you. Could you please select the service you are looking for to continue?
- Apply for resident parking permit, rewrite or report loss
- Request parking permit for guests“
Ok, maybe that’s too complicated. How about: “What is the €49 Deutschland ticket?”
Bobbi: “I have found several suitable services for you. Could you please select the service you are looking for to continue?
- Misappropriation of residential space – notification and approval
- Activities with pathogens – Display”
Perhaps Bobbi isn’t smarter than your average bear, after all.
