Nestled in the heart of southern Finland, Riihimäki is a city that offers a perfect balance of nature, history, and modern living. With a population of around 27,000 residents, it is an ideal place to experience the essence of Finnish life. Just 69 kilometers north of Helsinki, Riihimäki is a gateway to both urban convenience and the serene beauty of the Finnish countryside.
Riihimäki is known for its strong industrial roots, which have shaped its economy for centuries. Today, it continues to thrive with modern businesses and startups, contributing to Finland’s innovation ecosystem.
Integration of Immigrants: Immigrants face language barriers and difficulty accessing essential public services, creating a gap in their integration into the city.
Awareness Gap: Many immigrants and even local students are unaware of the resources, services, and job opportunities available, making it hard for them to navigate through the bureaucratic systems.
Public Sector Communication: Public agencies like Kela and TE struggle with providing clear and comprehensive responses, often giving short, insufficient answers that leave immigrants feeling unsupported.
Inconsistent Support Systems: The city faces challenges in offering consistent and clear support to immigrants, with issues like confusing application procedures and lack of tailored job-hunting strategies.
Integration of Immigrants: Immigrants face language barriers and difficulty accessing essential public services, creating a gap in their integration into the city.
Awareness Gap: Many immigrants and even local students are unaware of the resources, services, and job opportunities available, making it hard for them to navigate through the bureaucratic systems.
Public Sector Communication: Public agencies like Kela and TE struggle with providing clear and comprehensive responses, often giving short, insufficient answers that leave immigrants feeling unsupported.
Inconsistent Support Systems: The city faces challenges in offering consistent and clear support to immigrants, with issues like confusing application procedures and lack of tailored job-hunting strategies.
Increased Engagement: A total of 71 participants asked 644 questions, focusing on areas like job searches, residence permits, and available resources.
Streamlined User Experience: SUSAN provided users with quick, actionable responses to help navigate bureaucratic and job-seeking processes.
Key Insights for Improvement: Feedback highlighted the need for better communication, more detailed responses, and a centralized service platform for newcomers.
Enhanced Service Delivery: Identified gaps in current public services particularly around job opportunities and immigrant support.
Improved Access to Resources: Immigrants and local residents gained better understanding and access to housing, job, and legal support, enhancing their experience in the city.
On January 14th, we introduced a new AI chatbot called SUSAN that answered all kinds of interesting questions about jobs, college admissions, social services, public funding, how it could benefit businesses, and much more!
Event Timing: January 14th, 2025 (16:00 – 20:00 PM)
Event Address: DEFINE Innovation Hub, 5 Pohjoinen Asemakatu, 11130 Riihimäki, Finland
The SUSAN AI testbed event brought together participants from different backgrounds, including:
Two versions of SUSAN were deployed.
Participants asked a total of 644 questions, covering topics such as job searching, immigration procedures, public services, and daily life in Finland.
In addition, to live chatbot testing, there was an open discussion where attendees shared their experiences and expectations regarding digital tools for job seekers and immigrants. This feedback helped identify areas where SUSAN could be improved.
The audience engaged actively, asking a range of practical questions:
The discussions highlighted several recurring challenges for immigrants in Finland:
Key Features and Services:
Operational Benefits for Government Agencies:
Q: What happened during the SUSAN Test Bed event?
We launched the SUSAN AI chatbot and invited participants to test its incredible features. During the event, participants:
Q: What does the acronym S.U.S.A.N mean?
S.U.S.A.N is an acronym for: Smart User Service with AI Navigation
Q: How do we reach SUSAN?
You can access SUSAN at SUSAN.fi
Q: Can we also talk to SUSAN?
Yes, SUSAN supports both text and voice interactions. You can type your questions or speak directly to SUSAN, and get a response in real-time.
Q: What languages can SUSAN speak?
Currently, SUSAN can communicate in English. However, it is being trained for multiple languages to cater to a wider audience.
Q: Does SUSAN store our personal information?
SUSAN does not store any personal information. All user data is handled with high standards of privacy and security, in compliance with relevant data protection regulations.
Q: How does SUSAN help the residents living in the cities?
SUSAN makes life easier for city residents by providing instant access to information on public services such as healthcare, transportation, and taxation etc through both text and voice interactions.
City residents can get the same accurate and reliable information they would receive from public service officials.
Q: How does SUSAN help public services within the cities?
SUSAN helps public services by automating responses through both text and voice interactions to frequently asked questions, reducing the workload on public service representatives.
This allows public service officials to handle complex tasks and improve service delivery. With SUSAN, public services can operate more efficiently and provide faster, consistent responses to citizen inquiries.
Q: Can I use SUSAN on my phone?
Yes, you can access SUSAN on your phone. In fact, make sure to bring your phone with you because you will need it during the event.
Q: What is the purpose of the Test Bed?
The purpose of the Test Bed was to test SUSAN’s capabilities and gather user feedback. Through the test, we were able to understand the specific needs of the users and train SUSAN in that direction.
Additionally, we will generate a detailed report from the test bed that will be shared with public stakeholders including Finnish and EU Parliament.
Q: Who was invited to participate in the Test Bed?
Q: Which cities have signed up for the Test Bed?
The City of Riihimaki has signed up for the Test Bed.
Q: How could participants sign up for the Test Bed in Riihimaki?
To sign up for the Test Bed in Riihimaki, participants filled out the Google Form below:
Q: Where and when was the Test Bed in Riihimäki held?
The Test Bed was held on Tuesday, January 14th, 2025, at 4:00 PM at the Defence Innovation Network Finland (DEFINE).
Q: Which cities have shown interest in the Test Bed?
In addition to city of Riihimaki, the city of Espoo and Vantaa have also shown interest in joining the Test Bed.
Q:Was the event covered by the media?
Yes, the event was covered by the media. Our social media team took photos and recorded video testimonials from participants.
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