Haptik-powered corona chatbot sees over 2 cr users

The government's dedicated WhatsApp chatbot MyGov Corona Helpdesk, which aims to provide timely updates and help citizens clear their queries on Covid-19, has been used by over 2 crore users.

Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot company Haptik Infotech Pvt Ltd, which is 87 per cent owned by Reliance Jio, developed the MyGov Corona Helpdesk chatbot.

According to Haptik, more than 55 million messages have been sent by over 20 million users since the chatbot was launched by the government on March 20.

"Misinformation & rumours are the primary outlets of panic. The @reliancejio & @haptik powered official @mygovindia coronavirus chatbot has helped eliminate these outlets for millions. Whatsapp +919013151515 for your queries," Haptik tweeted.

In two weeks since its launch, the coronavirus helpdesk chatbot has been used by over 2 crore users in India.

Within the first week of its launch, the chatbot registered over crore users and processed over 1.4 crore conversations.

"Language is no barrier when it comes to the official coronavirus chatbot. The ''MyGov Corona Helpdesk'' is equipped to resolve your virus related questions in Hindi. Send a Whatsapp message to the number +91 9013151515 to prevent misinformation," Haptik tweeted.

The MyGov Corona Helpdesk can be used by all WhatsApp users for free. Users just need to save the number -- 9013151515 -- in their contacts list and send a message to get a response.

The coronavirus has killed about 100 persons and infected over 3,300 in India.

The chatbot reportedly had over 17 lakh daily active users on March 25 -- the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned its availability. The following day, the number of active users grew exponentially to 35 lakh, and the number has been growing since then.