Developing human/AI interactions for chat-based customer services: lessons learned from the Norwegian government

Advancements in human/AI interactions led to smartification of public services via the use of chatbots. Here, we present findings from a clinical inquiry research project in a key public service organisation in Norway. In this project, researchers and practitioners worked together to generate insights on the action possibilities offered to human service agents by chatbots and the potential for creating hybrid human/AI service teams. The project sensitised service agents to discover affordances based on their actual practices, rather than on the predefined use of chatbots. The different affordances identified can be useful for practitioners who design and deploy chatbot-based services. The action possibilities afforded by chatbots provide new ways for service agents and chatbots to work as a team addressing citizens’ needs. Drawing from the whole research process, we offer three lessons learned from the Norwegian Government on human/AI partnerships, theory-based interventions, and institutionalised collaborative research that can be useful for researchers that want to engage with practice and organisations that want to evolve their technology use, stimulate innovation, and engage with research.