Citizen chatbot for municipalities — OZG, BITV 2.0, GDPR.
DigElite chatbots for public administrations answer citizen inquiries about OZG online services, opening hours, responsibilities, and application procedures—based on a knowledge base derived from your agency's service descriptions (FIM master data, service standards, and your own FAQs). Hosted in a German cloud or on the administration server, they are operated with Aleph Alpha Luminous or an on-premises Llama model. The bot interface complies with BITV 2.0 / WCAG 2.1 AA—accessibility is not a retrofit module but an integral part of the delivery.
What distinguishes a government agency from an ordinary chatbot.
OZG online services as a knowledge base
The Online Access Act requires that administrative services be offered digitally. The FIM master service descriptions provide standardized texts for this purpose. We index these descriptions—either the nationwide FIM master data or your state- and municipality-specific adaptations—and the chatbot answers questions about the service, requirements, and application process.
Respect the EfA principle
„"One for all" means that a service is developed in one federal state and reused in others. For services not developed in-house, the chatbot transparently forwards the inquiry to the relevant EfA platform instead of providing only partially relevant information. For services developed in-house, it provides the answer directly and explains how to apply via the service account.
BITV 2.0 / WCAG 2.1 AA from the start
Keyboard accessibility, screen reader compatibility, sufficient contrast, focus indicators, and clear language (optionally available in plain language as a second knowledge base level) are all essential features. We deliver the chatbot with a BITV 2.0-compliant standard interface and a verifiable test report.
Workflow.
1. Knowledge base definition
Which services fall under your responsibility, which are obtained via EfA, and which are mandated by state law? We will build the knowledge base from the relevant FIM master data plus your local FAQs.
2. Model selection and hosting path
For municipal bot solutions, we recommend Aleph Alpha Luminous (German servers, the "Made in Germany" argument) or Llama on-premise (entirely hosted in the government's data center). Both options can be discussed in an initial consultation.
3. Clarify handover structures
When does the bot hand over the information, and where? Citizen's office email, ticket system, appointment booking in the citizen portal. We are building structured and documented handovers.
Example: County town administration — manageable FIM service catalog + local FAQs.
A county town administration wants a citizen chatbot for the most common online access control (OZG) requests: ID card applications, change of address registration, vehicle registration, and marriage. We index the core FIM service descriptions plus a manageable collection of local FAQs (opening hours, waiting times, online appointments). Hosting is provided by Hetzner Falkenstein, using the Aleph Alpha Luminous model. The chatbot answers most questions directly, referring users to the application process in their service account, and forwards the remaining questions to the citizens' office via a structured ticket. The bot interface is BITV 2.0 compliant, and a data protection impact assessment is documented.
„"Small and medium-sized municipalities need citizen chatbots that don't require a six-figure project. We provide the technology, index the FIM master data, and respect data protection and BITV requirements — without SaaS gimmicks and without a US cloud.""
— Philipp Herrmann, founder of DigElite
What potential customers should ask before deployment.
Is the chatbot AI Act-compliant for use in public administration?
Yes. Chatbots fall under "limited risk" with a transparency requirement—the bot identifies itself as AI and specifies its model upon request. Important: The chatbot provides information only, not administrative decisions. Decisions (application approval, notification) remain with humans. Therefore, the bot does not fall into the high-risk category.
What specific data protection requirements apply to public authorities?
The German Data Protection Conference (DSK) outlined the key points in its guidance document "Use of AI in Public Authorities" (May 2024): legal basis (usually Art. 6 para. 1 lit. e GDPR + state-specific administrative procedure law), data minimization, transparency, and right of access. DigElite chatbots technically meet these requirements—conversations are hosted exclusively by the public authority, the retention period is configurable, and a data processing agreement with DigElite is not required (no third-party hosting).
Can the bot respond in plain language?
Yes, as a second knowledge base level. They provide service descriptions in plain language in addition to the standard version; the bot recognizes the complexity of the request or the user's wish and responds accordingly. Alternatively: a "Plain Language" toggle switch in the widget.
How is the chatbot procured (awarded)?
DigElite can deliver both directly (direct contracting for smaller municipalities below the threshold) and through a tendering process (public tender, negotiated procedure). Upon request, we also provide the standard components for specifications, data protection impact assessments, and suitability assessments.
Where you can continue reading.
This feature is part of the DigElite chatbot family — check it out. Product Overview or the thematically related clusters.
GDPR-compliant chatbot
Legal basis for the official justification.
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German and European LLMs
Aleph Alpha Luminous as administrative default.
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Own server
On-premises in the government data center.
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DigElite Chatbots — Overview
Pillar with all cluster topics.
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15 minutes is enough to get an impression.
We'll be live-chatting with our own chatbot on nordzypern.live and showing you how it responds to real documents, when it honestly says "I don't know," and how it hands the call off to a human. No sales pitch, no Slide 47.
Watch the chatbot live & get an initial consultation