Towards a customized AI-driven chatbot for undocumented people

Access to health is a fundamental human right that is enshrined in the statutes of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The right implies that everyone is entitled to health services they need, regardless of their social, economic or political standing. While the entitlement to health care is well elaborated in policy documents, the situation on the ground depicts challenges in accessing health services. The challenges are prominent with undocumented migrant communities who for long have experienced marginalisation and discrimination in accessing health care services, yet they suffer from ill health disproportionately. There is information asymmetry on the rights of undocumented people and how to handle them, particularly by the gatekeepers in hospitals. There already exist tools that aim to help undocumented people with information about their rights and possibilities, such as the Amsterdam City Rights app.[1]However, it turns out that this does not fully solve the needs of undocumented people. Their challenges typify wicked problems, which due to their complex and interconnected nature are subject to real-world constraints which hinder risk-free attempts to find a solution. In this project, we aim to develop a better understanding of the specific needs of undocumented people to get access to health care and investigate whether a personalized recommendation system will help them to fulfil those needs. The project starts by investigating how the problems faced by undocumented people in accessing health can be addressed. We will also investigate the possibilities of AI-driven chatbot interfaces to personalize and tailor information to the needs of specific persons in specific circumstances. Based on this, we will develop a digital solution that will help undocumented people to get the information and support that they need when looking for medical attention. The solution will be co-designed and evaluated by representatives of the undocumented people.

Researchers:

Students: