Haneda Airport Demos AI Chatbot 'Bebot,' a Multilingual Guidance Service

Bespoke Co., Ltd. and Tokyo International Airport Terminal Co., Ltd. will offer a new AI (artificial intelligence) chat service to customers using Terminal 3 at Haneda Airport as a demonstration experiment. The new automatic response service "Bebot" will be available from Jan. 17 to March 31.

Equipped with a natural language processing engine developed from chat histories from more than 30 million people, "Bebot" boasts a high degree of accuracy in answering questions that travelers need, including information on airport facilities and flight information. Bebot responds to information requests in an easy-to-understand way via natural conversation. In addition, the service is designed with consideration for foreign travelers, the elderly, and the visually impaired.

Background: Demand for Accessibility Support

Haneda Airport is used by customers with various accessibility needs, with common request examples including "I can't find the information I need," "The counters are too crowded," "It's hard to read small letters," and "I can't read Japanese." Therefore, Bespoke decided to offer and upgrade the service "Bebot," which can respond accurately regardless of the user's native language or age. 

Particular consideration was given to the following points:

1) Answers can be read aloud by a screen reader within the chat service.

2) An easy-to-read font display matches the user's font-size setting.

3) Easy-to-understand information is provided by native speakers in multiple languages

■ AI chatbot "Bebot" service

Bebot has been introduced by various organizations in Japan and overseas, including public institutions and transportation facilities, such as for local governments where accuracy and speed are required. In administrative agencies, Bebot is used in a wide range of ways, such as creating an online city hall, providing guidance on procedures, for crisis management, disaster response, tourist information, and for collecting the voices of residents. Based on the vast amount of chat data, the service is constantly being improved, and compared to other chatbots, it is capable of returning accurate answers even when free input is made in colloquial styles, or via long sentences.

Answers and information are provided in an optimized display according to each device, including for PC, smartphones, tablets, etc. The service is also characterized by its strong multilingual support. At Haneda Airport, the service provides information in English, Chinese, and Korean, in addition to Japanese.

Demonstration Experiment period: Jan. 17 to March 31

Service hours: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (operation and maintenance are scheduled to be carried out at all times to improve convenience)

Supported languages: Japanese, English, Chinese (simplified/traditional), Korean

How to access:

1. By scanning QR codes inside and outside the airport.

2. By connecting to the free Wi-Fi in the airport, which displays the portal site.

"Bebot" implementation: Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), Narita International Airport, Tokyo Station, Tokyo Metro, Toyama Prefecture, Mie Prefecture, Yamanashi Prefecture, Sapporo City, Sendai City, Mitsubishi Jisho Property Management, Hotel New Otani.