Utilising an AI chatbot to support smart digital government for Society 5.0 in South Africa

Background: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot can be fundamental to supporting the establishment and maintenance of smart digital government for Society 5.0 across all national government departments in South Africa. In this way, the AI chatbot can ensure that government services are incorporated and provide quality services to smart citizens. As such, smart citizens can use an AI chatbot to access government services, regardless of the place and time. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of an AI chatbot to establish smart digital government for Society 5.0. Method: This qualitative study adopts content analysis as its research methodology, which is grounded in a literature review that integrates insights from the researchers’ experiences with the use of an AI chatbot to support smart digital government in Society 5.0. Results: The findings of the study reveal that an AI chatbot has the potential to provide government information and services around the clock, regardless of where they are and the time they want to access these services. This can allow citizens to access and retrieve government services timeously. Through an AI chatbot, citizens can access and retrieve information and services from various government databases and websites, promptly. Conclusion: This study provides a framework to map how an AI chatbot can be utilised to support smart digital government for Society 5.0. Contribution: The framework of this study would help the government including national government departments to integrate an AI chatbot in their databases, to ensure that smart digital services are provided to citizens.