VFS Global launches AI-powered chatbot for UK visa customers in 141 countries, including Bangladesh

VFS Global has introduced a Generative AI-powered chatbot to enhance customer support for UK visa applicants in 141 countries, including Bangladesh, offering human-like conversational assistance through both voice and text commands.  

Developed at VFS Global's AI centres in Dubai, Mumbai, and Berlin, the chatbot is designed to provide instant and accurate information on the visa application process, improving accessibility and efficiency.  

Jen Vidler, deputy director of Cross Cutting Service Operations, Visa, Status and Information Services, Customer Services Group, UK Visas and Immigration, said, "The rollout of VFS Global's AI-powered chatbot demonstrates our continued commitment to ensuring our visa services are accessible, efficient and meet the needs of all customers. Providing instant access to accurate information about the visa application process will ensure we continue to offer the best service to our customers."  

Zubin Karkaria, founder & chief executive officer of VFS Global, stated, "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.  

"We are developing a range of AI and digital technology-driven products to drive the next transformation in visa and consular services for our client governments and customers. We remain deeply committed to the responsible development of AI in accordance with the policies and requirements of our client governments," he added.  

The chatbot, built using advanced Generative AI technologies, is exclusively trained on publicly available data from VFS Global's Country-to-UK websites. It is hosted on VFS Global's secure IT infrastructure, ensuring compliance with strict data privacy and security standards. 

A dedicated team of data scientists and AI specialists worked on the project, integrating ethical considerations and bias mitigation in collaboration with the 'Responsible AI Institute'.  

Key features of the chatbot include human-like interactions, country-specific information, data masking, secure AI hosting, ethical AI practices, 24/7 availability, and a user feedback mechanism to refine responses over time. The chatbot also incorporates VFS Global's proprietary AI Foundation Model and Super Alpha Application Platform, which include built-in guardrails for data security and regulatory compliance.  

As the world's leading outsourcing and technology services specialist, VFS Global supports 68 client governments by managing administrative tasks related to visa, passport, and consular services. Headquartered in Zurich and Dubai, and majority owned by investment funds managed by Blackstone Inc, the company operates over 3,500 application centres across 153 countries and has processed more than 305 million applications since 2001.