North Kentucky News

An innovative development has taken place in Covington, Kentucky, with the introduction of a new feature on the Economic Development website. A chatbot named "Clive" has been launched to assist users by answering questions related to business operations in the area. The chatbot is accessible at the bottom right corner of the website and can communicate in both English and Spanish.

Susan Smith, Business Attraction Manager for the city, emphasized that the main goal of introducing Clive is to enhance customer service. "The convenience factor is the main reason we created this. We want to be more customer-service oriented," she said. Smith also clarified that while the chatbot aids in quickly finding information, human interaction remains available through phone, email, and in-person communication.

The idea for Clive was partly inspired by a conference attended by Smith where it was noted that only about 4 percent of economic development organizations' websites were utilizing chatbots. This led her to discuss possibilities with Todd Sink, Covington’s Manager of Analytics and Intelligence. Sink had been exploring artificial intelligence's potential for public service enhancement and saw this as an opportunity to implement his ideas.

"I’ve always wanted to find a way or ways to use at least some form of artificial intelligence to enhance public service, and this is a tool I’ve always wanted to create," Sink stated.

The choice of Clive's identity stems from Covington's unique character, represented by a 30-foot fiberglass alien art display. Sink enlisted Executive Assistant Carolann Baughman for graphic creation and customized Clive’s software with specific information and personality traits.

Sink added a playful element by suggesting users ask Clive about his favorite movie: "Ask Clive the chatbot what his favorite movie is," he mentioned, hinting at a potentially amusing response linked to popular culture references.