Nebraska rolls out an AI assistant statewide after it answered 88,000 DMV questions
During a three-month pilot the assistant cut calls by up to 20 per cent and handled a fifth of its conversations outside office hours.
Nebraska will deploy an AI assistant across state government after a three-month pilot at its Department of Motor Vehicles, StateScoop reported. The DMV will also expand use of Tyler Technologies' document automation platform for motor carrier operations, according to Tyler.
The pilot
Between May and August the Resident AI Assistant answered more than 88,000 questions from more than 38,000 users. Tyler says 59 per cent of DMV website visitors engaged with it and nearly 19 per cent of conversations happened outside business hours.
It made more than 3,400 referrals to state online services and reduced call volume by 20 per cent in some areas, said Mitch Greenwall, deputy director of the DMV. The assistant draws answers from verified state websites and responds in more than 50 languages.
"The results from our DMV pilot demonstrated that AI improves resident experience while reducing pressure on agency resources," Greenwall said. "Expanding this capability statewide will make government information more accessible for all Nebraskans."
What made it work
Motor vehicle agencies are a natural first use for public-facing AI: questions are frequent, repetitive and answered by published rules. Two design choices in Nebraska's pilot matter for others: answers grounded in the state's own verified pages, and referrals that send people to the online service that completes their task rather than just explaining it.
Statewide, questions will be more varied and the cost of a wrong answer higher for some services. Keeping content accurate across agencies, and measuring not just engagement but whether people got what they needed, will decide whether the DMV's results carry over.
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