Tourism NT has taken the wrappers off 'ChatNT', an artificial intelligence (AI) tool developed in partnership with media personality Abbie Chatfield.

The tool, a claimed first for an Australian brand, utilises Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service, the same technology behind ChatGPT, to generate celebrity-like interactions with audiences.

Developed with local partner Insight Enterprises, ChatNT is designed to mimic Chatfield’s signature tone of voice and phrasing, offering travel inspiration and advice for planning a summer holiday in the Northern Territory. Chatfield has been announced as the 'Chief Sensory Officer for Summer in the NT', a role that sees her immersing herself in the region's unique offerings.

“I have absolutely loved taking on this new adventure and spending more time in the Northern Territory immersing my senses and learning more about the amazing things the NT has to offer during summer," said Chatfield. "To be able to help build a quirky new tech tool and experience a remarkably different kind of summer all in one; this might just be the best job I’ve ever had!"

To ensure accuracy, reliability, data security and ethics, Tourism NT used Azure Cognitive Search to ingest and index a secure database of Tourism NT-owned content about tourism experiences, products and places relevant to summer in the NT. The database was further enhanced with the GPT-3.5 model to generate the most relevant and meaningful responses to user queries, further safeguarded through Azure OpenAI’s in-built content filter.

Tony Quarmby, Executive Director of Tourism NT, expressed his excitement about the project, stating, “Here in the Northern Territory, we know that summer looks, sounds, smells, tastes and feels different, and we are thrilled to have joined forces with Abbie and Microsoft to launch ChatNT – a tool that will showcase how truly unique a summer holiday in the NT can be."

Sarah Carney, Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft Australia and New Zealand, praised the application of technology in ChatNT, saying, “Its ability to capture the playful, humorous and genuine tone of Abbie’s voice will create a uniquely Australian experience for tourists in the Northern Territory.”

Veli-Matti Vanamo, Chief Technology Officer for Insight Enterprises, APAC, also expressed his excitement about the partnership.

“We are excited to partner with Tourism Northern Territory and Microsoft to deliver Australia’s first AI-powered tourism marketing solution. By integrating personality and tone of voice with Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI capabilities, ChatNT unleashes creativity through technology."

Want your daily shot of #AI powered, human curated news? Become a member of @Mi3Australia and ensure you get Mi3's Fast News daily newsletter straight to your inbox here

Got news you want to share with Mi3 Fast News? Email your media announcements with either Word or PDF attachments plus images to fastnews@ai.mi-3.com.au