(Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Osamu Hata) is pleased to announce that Shionogi & Co., Ltd. has introduced HUE Chatbot, an AI-type chatbot, and will start its operation on March 31, 2023. Through the use of this product, the company expects to be able to respond promptly to inquiries from many stakeholders, including individual investors, even during the night and on holidays, thereby improving customer satisfaction.

1．Responding to inquiries from many stakeholders, including individual investors

In recent years, Shionogi has received numerous inquiries from individual investors and other stakeholders via telephone and website. On the other hand, because the company encourages remote work within the company, it sometimes took a long time to receive a response.

We have been trying to respond promptly by recommending the use of inquiry forms on our website, but we have now decided to introduce the "HUE Chatbot" for the purpose of promptly responding to inquiries, including during the night and on holidays. The "HUE Chatbot" will be installed on the company's website and will be able to answer accurately and automatically at any time, which is expected to lead to improved customer satisfaction.

URL of where it will be posted: https: //www.shionogi.com/jp/ja/quest.html#3

2. What is HUE Chatbot?

HUE chatbot is an AI-type chatbot that responds to "fluctuations" in Japanese by applying NLP (natural language processing) technology. It enables highly accurate dialogue as if it were talking to a human being. The usage status and points for improvement are visualized on a dashboard, allowing anyone to perform PDCA cycles with intuitive operation.

Feature 1: Supports technical terms Can be used in a wide range of industries
In the case of general chatbots, the number of words in the built-in dictionary is limited, and it is said that it is difficult to recognize unique words such as industry terms and technical terms. However, HUE chatbots can be used in a variety of industries and fields because even those without programming knowledge can register unique dictionaries anytime and as many times as they wish from the administration screen.

Example of Registering Fixed Terms in the Dictionary
By registering synonyms, the system recognizes them as having the same meaning.

Feature 2: Japan’s Largest Registered Vocabulary, Capable of Handling Ambiguous Queries



It features “SudachiDict,” a natural language processing (NLP) dictionary with Japan’s largest registered vocabulary of 2.9 million words (as of May 2022).Developed by Works Tokushima Artificial Intelligence NLP Research Institute—which specializes in natural language processing (NLP) technology essential for AI chatbots—this feature eliminates the need for users to register large dictionaries and reduces the number of FAQs they need to prepare. It also accurately identifies variations in Japanese spelling and handles ambiguous queries.

Feature 3: Added Document Search Option—No Need to Prepare FAQs

By uploading files such as internal regulations and various manuals, the AI can reference the uploaded files to provide answers. This eliminates the task of preparing FAQs altogether, leading to significant improvements in operational efficiency.

Image of

the Document Search Option