Bhutan’s first civil service robot, Zhiyop, was officially launched at the Royal Civil Service Commission’s Innovation Day in Thimphu yesterday. Developed through a collaboration between the Royal Civil Service Commission and the Jigme Wangchuck Power Training Institute, the robot represents the civil service’s efforts to embrace emerging technologies and build a future-ready public service.
The robot can interact with users through voice commands and answer questions from five chapters of the Bhutan Civil Service Rules and Regulations.
Developers say they plan to expand its knowledge base to cover all chapters of the BCSR in the future.
Yeshi Rigsel Wangchuk, Assistant Lecturer of Jigme Wangchuck Power Training Institute said, “In the future, we are planning to upgrade this right now. It’s just initial phase. So, we’ll make it more durable. And right now, the Zhiyop robot is capable of singing the Zhiyop theme song and as well as answering questions from any of the five chapters we’ve taught it. And it can also tell the current prime minister and also the current commissioners as well as the chairperson of the RCSC.”
He added that Zhiyop was developed alongside the regular responsibilities of teaching. Developers worked on it during free time, and took around two to three months to go from the initial concept to a functional prototype.
The Innovation Day event also showcased a range of innovations developed by civil servants from across the country.
The National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology won the Gold Award for Innovation in Service Delivery for its semi-automated glacier mass balance analysis system.
The Department of Geology and Mines received the Gold Award in Digital Transformation for its technology-driven approach to mineral resource management.
Meanwhile, the Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development secured the top honour in Governance Innovation for developing a return-on-investment framework for public service delivery.
The Royal Civil Service Commission says Innovation Day will continue to serve as a platform for civil servants to share ideas, collaborate and develop innovative solutions that create greater public value.
Namgay Wangdi
