Goa turns to AI to convert piles of govt paperwork to digital records

Panaji: Faced with lakhs of legacy documents piled across its departments, some of which are in Konkani, Marathi, Portuguese and English, state govt is exploring the option of using artificial intelligence and machine learning to extract the data.

Govt hopes to automate the digitisation of its vast paper trail, replacing a process that has long depended on manual data entry operators.

The Info Tech Corporation of Goa (ITG) has initiated the search for a startup that can provide AI services across departments on an AI-as-a-Service model, meaning departments would plug into a centralised, cloud-based capability without creating their own manpower or purchasing separate software.

“The state’s long-term aim is to reduce dependence on manual data entry, cut costs and build a searchable repository of govt records and files that can serve both officials and citizens,” said an official.

The push is driven by a clear diagnosis of what has gone wrong. IT department officials said that several departments continue to struggle with slow data entry staff or service providers who struggle with data that is difficult to search or retrieve.

The scope of what the ITG wants is ambitious, as the AI-as-a-Service model will be required to extract data from scanned files, including handwritten notings, and then classify the documents by type and department.

The ITG hopes that the use of large language models, including open-source options such as LLaMA, Mistral and GPT equivalents, can support multilingual files including Konkani and Portuguese. This will allow govt staff to rapidly search multiple govt files.

Tourism minister Rohan Khaunte is keen on pursuing AI for governance. He recently released the draft artificial intelligence policy for Goa and circulated it among stakeholders for deliberation and inputs. The department is in consultations with industry players, academicians and central govt to explore how AI can be used for citizen-centric services.

The IT department also wants to have an AI-powered multilingual chatbot for navigating govt documents and predictive analytics. Through this, the department hopes to lay the foundation for a data-driven governance.

The state has already launched an AI-powered chatbot to serve as a single digital assistant for citizens, providing 24/7 access to various govt-linked services.