Logo courtesy of Sutter County

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) – Sutter County's newest employee will answer questions around the clock, speak more than 70 languages and never take a coffee break. Her name is Peaches, a puppy-themed artificial intelligence chatbot that officials say will make county services easier to navigate online and by phone.

The Board of Supervisors recently got its first look at Peaches, an artificial intelligence chatbot scheduled to begin rolling out on the county website in late July and early August. Originally developed for the Clerk-Recorder's Office, the digital assistant will be available countywide at no additional cost.

"We wanted to make the bot friendly so people wouldn't be afraid to click on it," Clerk-Recorder Donna Johnston said. "We also wanted to honor our rich agricultural history."

The project grew out of an effort to improve customer service. Johnston said employees often spend time guiding callers through the county website, directing them to forms and answering the same questions repeatedly. Staff also recognized that residents needing assistance outside business hours or in languages other than English sometimes faced additional challenges.

To better understand how residents seek information, Johnston’s office surveyed callers. About 40% responding said they visited the county website before calling but did not find what they needed. Another 60% called without looking at the website first. Those findings led the county to pursue both a website chatbot and an artificial intelligence phone assistant.

Johnston said the county has contracted with CityBot, a company that develops artificial intelligence assistants for government agencies. Rather than creating its own answers, Peaches will search the county website and will direct users to existing information. A question about passports, for example, will bring up Clerk-Recorder details, while a question about building permits will shift to Development Services.

The chatbot will also recognize when a resident needs another department and will route the inquiry accordingly. The artificial intelligence phone assistant will initially launch in English and Spanish for callers to the Clerk-Recorder's Office. It will identify itself as a digital agent before transferring callers to staff when necessary.

"We're going to start doing some marketing campaign right now," Johnston said. "We wanted to make sure everybody was aware of Peaches' existence."

Johnston said the project is not being paid for with General Fund dollars. It is funded through the Clerk-Recorder's special revenue funds, which come from fees collected for recorder and clerk services. Under state law, those funds are restricted to improving those operations, including technology, equipment and customer service enhancements.

Although the project began as an improvement for the Clerk-Recorder's Office, the county later learned the technology could be expanded throughout the county website without increasing the cost.

"So, we thought, why not Peaches for all," Johnston said.

After considering several mascot ideas, Johnston said staff settled on a puppy named Peaches, using ChatGPT to help create the image. The chatbot will appear in the lower right corner of the county website, where residents can ask questions and will be directed to information already posted on county webpages.

Board Chair Mike Ziegenmeyer praised the project and county staff for helping residents access public information more easily.

"I love it," Ziegenmeyer said.