Baden-Württemberg, the southernmost state in Germany, has become the first state in the country to have its own AI administrative assistant. Developed in collaboration with AI company Aleph Alpha and the state’s innovation laboratory, the AI system, called F13, aims to streamline administrative processes and reduce the workload of state officials. The introduction of such an AI system is expected to attract interest from other federal states and municipalities.
F13 was unveiled during a public presentation and discussion at the GovTech Campus in Berlin. Over 400 state employees have undergone training on how to use the tool via video conferences and the response has been overwhelming. F13 has been available to all state officials since May and has received positive feedback.
The main challenges faced by the state administration include a high volume of mail, a shortage of skilled workers, and high employee turnover, leading to a loss of knowledge of internal processes. To address these challenges, the state ministry of Baden-Württemberg decided to adopt new tools and embrace an agile approach to modernize the administration and reduce bureaucracy.
Aleph Alpha was chosen as a partner for the development of F13 due to its recognition as the recipient of the KI Champions Award 2021. Around 50 state administration employees were involved in the development process, ensuring that the AI system was user-centered and practical.
The current version of F13 is a prototype that assists with research and text creation while adhering to the state administration’s form specifications. The AI system maintains strict data protection measures and does not store administrative data or documents in Aleph Alpha’s data pool. F13 is designed to work confidentially and provide sources for the information it generates.
During the presentation, various government representatives, including those from federal authorities, expressed interest in F13. The state ministry of Baden-Württemberg aims to enable the subsequent use of F13 at the federal, state, and local levels.
The introduction of F13 is seen as a revolution in administration, as it allows state officials to focus on more critical tasks while the AI assistant handles time-consuming processes. The project is still in the test phase, with plans to expand and improve the prototype based on feedback from users.
The federal government’s CIO, Markus Richter, emphasized the importance of openness and collaboration in achieving successful AI implementation in the public sector. He highlighted the need for adaptation and scalability in order to enable reuse in federalism.
