SSA is rolling out a new chatbot for employees

The Social Security Administration is introducing a new chatbot for employees powered by generative artificial intelligence, according to an internal email obtained by Nextgov/FCW. 

“This initiative aligns with our commitment to leverage innovative technology to improve efficiency, support our mission and provide a secured way to use GenAI,” read a Wednesday email to staff announcing the new “Agency Support Companion.”

SSA is the latest to debut such a tool for employees, following similar efforts at the State Department and General Services Administration. 

SSA told staff that the new chatbot is meant to help with content creation and summarization, as well as research and coding assistance. Staff have to watch a four-minute video with guidelines and best practices to access it.

The new tool uses an OpenAI model and wasn’t trained or fine-tuned on any SSA data, according to an agency FAQ document obtained by Nextgov/FCW. No testing ...