Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance: Massachusetts deployed an AI chatbot called Ask MA on mass.gov, including DTA pages, to help residents find answers to questions about government services. The chatbot understands questions typed in more than 20 languages and responds 24 hours a day. It launched in August 2022 and, as of mid-2024, handled an average of 3.46 million visitor messages per month across the site. | AI Trace
Customer ServiceConsumer FacingVerified
Massachusetts deployed an AI chatbot called Ask MA on mass.gov, including DTA pages, to help residents find answers to questions about government services. The chatbot understands questions typed in more than 20 languages and responds 24 hours a day. It launched in August 2022 and, as of mid-2024, handled an average of 3.46 million visitor messages per month across the site.
Details
Ask MA was built by NeuroSoph using its Specto AI platform and was deployed statewide by the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS). Unlike generative AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Ask MA is a domain-specific chatbot trained exclusively on trusted government content — it will not answer questions outside its programmed scope. DTA-specific content is included in its training, including a help video about the DTA Connect online portal. The chatbot does not access individual case information, cannot make eligibility decisions, and is not a replacement for DTA's human caseworkers.
