We celebrated the official launch of the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner #LindaData chatbot. One of the first ChatBots of such functionalities in the context of global data protection.
We co-created this project with the ODPC team by placing the Kenyan citizen as the core focus of all the functionalities. It is a significant representation of what truly collaborative and citizen-driven #responsibleai looks like.
It is:
1. Privacy focused
2. A public AI solution solving a local problem
3. Ethically designed with the Data Protection legal framework.
4. Domain-specific
5. Built on open source tools
#LindaData uses encryption to ensure that no personal data transmitted can be intercepted; it is a domain expert chatbot, with responses that are traceable and verified; it makes use of open source tools that are wholly and entirely under the control of the ODPC ICT team without exchange with third party models and services that cannot be verified.
𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨-𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
As a consequence of co-creation, the developers of #LindaData are drawn from a diverse Kenyan local AI developer community #CoP. This ensures that bias encountered in the algorithms in use is minimal.
The sole purpose of the bot is to provide a seamless experience to the end-users while delivering accessible digital government services. Furthermore, it highlights the advantages of working with local developers and implementing Natural Language Processing that guarantees inclusivity.
𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Adaptive localisation involves modifying content, products, or services to cater to a specific target market or audience’s linguistic, cultural, and functional requirements. This implies that AI can be aligned with the language and cultural preferences of the target audience creating a seamless and user-friendly experience.
The Data Protection Act was enacted in Kenya in 2019. The #LindaData chatbot is a useful tool that can help raise awareness among data subjects, processors, and controllers. It fills in any gaps in information and is available in English, Swahili, and Sheng. Sheng is a version of Kenyan slang that aims to be more inclusive of the youth, who make up almost 85 percent of the Kenyan population.
#LindaData is young and is learning everyday, this process of training is enhanced through your constant interaction. We hope this project helps many Kenyan citizens understand data protection better and obtain services relating to their data protection. We thank the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, GIZ Kenya, Immaculate Kassait, MBS CS ELIUD OWALO, Eng. John Kipchumba Tanui, MBS for making this project a reality!
You can check out #LindaData at
https://bot.odpc.go.ke/chat/
You’ll also find #LindaData accompanying you at the ODPC e-Services here
https://dataportal.odpc.go.ke/
