Qld government scales up generative AI usage

Over 14,000 Queensland public service workers have adopted the state government’s generative AI tool, QChat, nearly a year after it became fully operational.

The Azure OpenAI-based service was initially introduced in private preview to select departments in late 2023 before being rolled out statewide almost a year ago.

As of now, staff at 18 Queensland government agencies are using QChat to assist with day-to-day tasks such as drafting documents and brainstorming ideas.

According to the government, the model underpinning QChat was upgraded to GPT4o in the middle of April.

A spokesperson for the state’s Department of Customer Services, Open Data and Small and Family Business (CDSB) said government staff are now incorporating QChat “into their daily workflows”.

“It has been a successful tool for users to save time, draft or redraft documents quickly and help with brainstorming ideas,” they said.

“Users have reported that they value the ease of use and the ability to use an AI assistant tool that is private and secure.”

The spokesperson added that the government is carrying out an evaluation program of “QChat’s performance and the experience of its users”.