Developing a specialised conversational AI assistant for customs and trade compliance requires two components: human expertise (in the area) and technology. Picoco encompasses both. Therefore, we are able to deliver quality AI assistants tailored to different use cases. Some examples are described below.

Use case: Consulting company

The company is a leading global consultancy firm with a robust network of offices spanning more than 100 countries. Their diverse team of experts provides specialised consulting services in areas ranging from export control and regulatory compliance to business strategy.

Internal use:

• The company is automating the exchange of knowledge in the area of export control. The Picoco engine is being used to develop a conversational AI assistant that will ingest all relevant normative documents and all frequently asked questions and success stories prepared by the company so that this material can be accessed internally by the company's employees from all offices in multiple languages to provide quick answers to the queries of local companies in different countries worldwide. In this way, export control expertise will be ‘automated in-house’ as answers will be available to employees regardless of their original area of expertise.
• The company also plans to capture internal expertise and store it in the assistant to support the company's consultants in preparing information and answers.
• Advantages:
  * Efficiency (saving man-hours)
  * Retention of expertise when, for example, experts retire
  * Easier training of new colleagues — less time spent on mentoring

External use:

• Customer-facing use: The assistant provides answers in defined areas with a certain ‘depth’. It is resold via the company's platform to provide answers, while in more complex cases, it refers users to further human advice.
• Public-facing use: On the company's website to demonstrate innovation and differentiation from the competition. The assistant provides answers in one specific area and offers basic knowledge that leads users towards purchasing the company's services.

Use case: Logistics company

The company is a global logistics provider with expertise in customs procedures and regulations. It offers land transport, air freight, ocean freight, and intermodal solutions for its international customers. The company has an internet portal to provide self-service tools for orders and shipment tracking. It offers real-time monitoring and tracking tools, including GPS location, temperature, humidity, light exposure, tilt, or shock parameters. It works with multiple transport partners, who are provided with a set of digital tools for automated and optimal operations to reduce manual work and decrease the risk of human error. Thousands of employees, partners, and clients use these systems to authenticate, provide data, update information, or manage ongoing orders.

Internal use:

• The conversational AI assistant can serve as a ‘single window’ for employees to access information from multiple sources and systems. It acts as a proxy mechanism to collect relevant information from the user and deliver answers through a conversational interface.

Internal and external use:

• For international shipments, the regulation may apply for transported goods. The goods transported may be subject to taxes and tariffs, restrictions and prohibitions. This regulatory information, including customs procedures for cargo regulatory compliance can be provided automatically by conversational AI assistant for each shipment. The relevant regulatory changes are automatically tracked and updated for each market so that the logistics experts have the latest information relevant for each import/export transaction.

National Customs use case and benefits

Lithuanian Customs is deploying the Picoco-powered conversational AI assistant on their website www.lrmuitine.lt to answer questions from private individuals about postal and e-commerce shipments.

Here's a list of the benefits:

• The assistant finds relevant information at least 10x faster than a website visitor could: saving working hours = financial savings.
• A constantly growing knowledge repository that can be enriched with unlimited resources and cannot be lost: a solution to some of the current HR challenges.
• 24/7 availability: satisfied customers can access information whenever they need it.
• Harmonised information delivery: providing a solution to the challenge of inconsistent answers from different staff members.
• Easily accessible information for users speaking different languages: no costly translations required, available in multiple languages.
• Conversational mode: the assistant understands the context of the conversation, handles typos effectively, and feels like talking to a human.
• Links to reliable sources: users can easily verify the answers provided.

Features we plan to add:

• Low-latency updates of regulatory and other information.
• Adaptive answers based on the user’s level of knowledge: step-by-step guidance for beginners and detailed answers for experts.

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There are many more potential applications, such as providing explanations and guidance in case of 'red flags' during compliance checks or verifying shipments with Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to ensure preferences are being utilised.