Ask DBT: Our AI tool for making sense of the Intranet

This is an abridged version of the team's blog post.

Please note that the Department for Businness, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) was called DBT (Department for Business and Trade) when this tool was built.

A shared problem: finding answers from a large volume of information

Our department and colleagues are distributed across the UK and around the world. Trying to find the right person, the specialist team and the relevant information takes time. 

Efficiently querying large volumes of information is a common challenge in complex organisations. As content grows, it becomes harder to know where to look, or whether what you’ve found is even relevant.

This felt like an area where we could unlock value from AI in a practical way, by using technology to solve a user pain point that almost everyone in BIST has grappled with at some point, regardless of their location, role or experience.

Introducing Ask DBT

Many people are now used to chat‑style tools in their everyday lives. Asking a question and getting a response is rapidly feeling more natural than navigating through a search box and multiple pages.

Ask DBT is our new in‑house AI‑powered tool designed to query intranet information in a user‑friendly way. It provides a user-friendly way to find information from the intranet. Under the hood, the tool uses a Large Language Model.

We knew we wouldn’t get it right first time. That’s where Agile ways of working helped. We released early versions, listened carefully to user feedback, and iterated.

What impact we've seen so far

Over 30% of the trial cohort used Ask DBT. It has already shown clear potential to free up time answering routine questions about IT kit, travel and expenses. 61% of queries were answered immediately. If further information is needed, the tool shares useful source material where it can be found.

There’s an appetite for tools that enable productivity and reduce operational friction. As an in‑house tool, it’s open for all colleagues to use, and we can gather feedback directly and see where it helps and where it doesn’t. Those feedback loops are valuable for iterating the product.

During testing and piloting, colleagues told us that the tool helped them get answers more quickly and reduced the need to reach out with questions.

Several people said it saved them time answering routine questions, which meant they could focus on more valuable work instead.

We’re learning about the questions people actually ask, which in turn highlights where intranet content could be clearer.

What we learned along the way

One key lesson was the importance of bringing people along the Agile and iterative journey. We’re continuing this approach via live demos at team meetings and requests to try the tool out and share feedback, good or bad.

Some users expect new tools to be finished from day one. We had to be clear that early versions were to be tested by users. Our message was that feedback was the way to shape the product, not judge it.

We also learned to treat setbacks as information. A poor answer from Ask DBT isn’t a failure, it’s a way to learn and improve the tool and the content.

What's next

Ask DBT is evolving. It’s part of a wider shift in how we think about developing and managing digital tools.

We’re continuing to learn what it takes to develop this new technology responsibly, how we improve over time and when to pause, reflect and shift direction.

As we built Ask DBT in-house, we reap the benefits of all the resources we put into developing and improving it. It’s our own tool, built by us, for us. With no licensing costs, control over how and when it is updated, and closeness to the tool’s users, we are well placed to improve it as user needs change and apply what we’ve learned to other digital products.