Consular Digital Triage

This information was sourced from "Consular Digital Triage" by AI.GOV.UK, https://ai.gov.uk/knowledge-hub/tools/consular-digital-triage/?directTo=library. Licensed under Open Government Licence v3.0.

The challenge

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) receives approximately 100,000 written consular enquiries annually from British nationals abroad, covering issues such as lost passports or marriage overseas. Responding to these manually led to delays, with response times stretching to several days, limiting the speed and efficiency of consular support.

The solution

An AI-powered system leveraging large language models (LLMs) to automatically match user enquiries to pre-written, pre-approved response templates. The tool provides immediate guidance and relevant information, thereby enabling faster self-service. If users require further assistance, they can still submit enquiries for human review. The AI system minimises hallucinations by suggesting only vetted templates rather than generating free-text responses.

The results

• Reduced written enquiries by 80% and calls by up to 50% within three months of implementation. It is projected to save the FCDO millions over five years, while maintaining accuracy and safety standards.