The introduction of an AI chatbot is hoped to improve the customer experience of travellers to the UK who need visas.

Travellers to the UK from 141 countries, including South Africa, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria, who need visas can now engage with a GenAI-powered chatbot to improve customer support. 

According to VFS Global, which provides governments with outsourced immigration services, the bot enables access to information required to navigate the application process.

The company says the bot offers human-like, conversational support via voice and text commands. Bots were trained on publicly available data from their respective VFS Global Country-to-UK websites.

The company added that the project used proprietary AI platforms, including the company’s AI Foundation Model and Super Alpha Application Platform, both equipped with built-in guardrails to ensure data safety, security, and regulatory compliance.

Zubin Karkaria, founder and CEO, VFS Global, said: “Technology and innovation have always been the cornerstones of our operations at VFS Global, and we are pleased to launch this AI-powered information solution which will significantly enhance the visa application experience for our customers travelling to the UK from across the globe.”