One of the goals of the Netherlands’ Digitalisation Strategy (NDS) is to scale up AI applications for wider use. That’s already underway with Gem, the virtual municipal assistant. Gem already operates in 27 municipalities, answering questions for 2.8 million people. Adding generative AI will make Gem smart enough to deploy across all municipalities and, ultimately, the entire Dutch government.
Peter-Paul Hellings, Gem‘s product owner at the City of Utrecht, has been involved in its development from the start. What began as a chatbot and digital information desk has grown into a virtual assistant that answers questions around the clock in languages residents understand. Under the NDS banner, generative AI is now helping add new functionality.
The AI Scaling-up Facility is preparing to deploy Gem more widely. If Hellings had his way, it would be “for use by all municipalities and all government organisations”. Gem was selected for scaling up because it is a proven application with a large community that contributes and shares ideas.
No magic wand
Improving Gem’s intelligence is happening along 3 lines: a suitable language model, a knowledge base with relevant, up-to-date information, and the ability to deliver high-quality answers.
Deploying generative AI means Gem will soon not only work with scripts but also compose answers itself, drawing on information sources. That calls for great care. Hellings says:s: “AI is no magic wand. Using generative AI requires a considered, thorough approach to ensure Gem’s answers adequately address the questions asked.” He gives an example. “If a resident asks Gem, ‘I want a Dutch passport’. Does that person mean that they want to renew their Dutch passport? Or is the question about obtaining Dutch nationality?”
Good answers
Answers are assessed against 7 criteria. Correctness is obvious, but helpfulness, spelling, simplicity, and tone matter just as much. Answers must also cite verifiable sources and be safe. Hellings explains: “People ask questions in their own words, which might be inappropriate. For instance, swear words or discriminatory terms. We make choices there too: how neutral do we want Gem to be? That’s an ethical question.” The Gem website tracks progress in answer quality.
AI and scripts
Gem is being tested with several language models. In principle, 1 model will emerge that municipalities can supplement with local information sources. The virtual assistant will also continue to use scripts. Hellings explains: “The scripts Gem works with have been built up over the past 7 years. The answers are good and reliable, and the current version works fine with them. Moreover, generating a new answer every time for every frequently asked question wastes energy and computing power.
Contributions welcome
The more municipalities contribute to Gem, the better. There are several ways to contribute, including financially or by helping to refine the underlying language model. Even small contributions can make a difference. For example, municipalities can help the model understand the differences between the language residents use when requesting a service and the language civil servants use to describe or process the same request. Gem has an open-source repository that municipalities can join to help develop it.
More sovereignty
Hellings notes that government organisations are showing growing interest in the virtual assistant through their work with the AI Scaling-up Facility. “More municipalities are showing interest in contributing to Gem’s development. They are starting to see how the virtual assistant supports their own sovereignty, as they decide which technology powers it. Moreover, they control the answers Gem provides, because they contribute knowledge from their own practice to its knowledge base. And, last but not least, municipalities realise that joint development of Gem is easier and cuts costs.”
Fair weather
After years of ‘having to convince’, Hellings notes that the tide has turned. “We are entering a different phase. Our goal for 2026 is 40 municipalities in the Gem community. More specifically, 40 municipalities that have signed up to contribute. Financially, in terms of staff capacity, substantively or technically, or by contributing their own expertise to the development of Gem.” Now that Gem sails under the NDS banner, Hellings sees more new collaborations emerging. “For me, Gem does not merely represent the ‘product’, but above all the willingness to work together as colleagues on local government services. That is why collaborations also arise in domains other than Gem.”
