PPE Concerns Copilot

Overview

Development stage

In development or acquisitionSource: a) Pre-deployment – The use case is in a development or acquisition status.

High-impact designation

Not high-impactSource: c) Not high-impact

Impact justification

Not reported

Start date

Not reported

Withheld from public reporting

NoSource: a) No

Mission

Topic area

Service Delivery

Operational functions

Software development assistance Derived by keyword rules; see methodology

Problem the AI is intended to solve

The PPE Concerns Mailbox received inquiries that NIOSH/NPPTL staff must review and respond to. To date, over 10,000 questions have been received with answers provided. Responding to an inquiry requires a multi-step process that staff must complete manually, including • Reading the inquiry • Logging the inquiry and information about the inquiry and inquirer in an Excel spreadsheet • Searching through the spreadsheet of past questions • Reviewing prior responses for relevance • Drafting a reply based on similar previous responses or researching and composing a new answer from scratch if no match is found • Sending response to additional staff if further subject matter expert review is needed • Obtaining Executive Leadership review and approval, if needed • Updating the spreadsheet with the finalized response, reply date, and staff who assisted with the response This process can be time-consuming, repetitive, and inconsistent, especially when multiple team members are handling and categorizing inquiries or when there are high volumes.

Expected benefits

The Copilot could handle the initial steps—reviewing the question, searching past responses, and drafting a reply—which currently take the most time. For straightforward or simple, repeat questions, this could reduce staff time from 30–60 minutes to under 10 minutes, with staff only needing to review and finalize the AI-generated draft. Even for more complex inquiries, having a well-structured starting point and a searchable interface would significantly cut down manual effort and improve turnaround time across the board. Additionally, the Copilot would improve time savings when a new staff member is assigned to managing the mailbox due to events such as staffing changes. The Copilot would allow a more seamless transition of the mailbox, whereas the current process requires months of on-the-job training to effectively navigate the spreadsheet and learn the proper standard responses to use for specific inquiries. Additionally, the Copilot would remove the burden of relying on memory recall to determine where a previous response is in the spreadsheet when staff receive specific, repeat questions.

System outputs

The Copilot will analyze incoming questions, search the existing dataset for relevant responses, and generate draft replies for human review. After staff revise and approve the response, the Copilot will assist by sending the finalized email to the submitter and updating the spreadsheet with the new question-and-answer (Q&A) pair and supporting information.

Technology

AI classification

Natural language processingSource: Natural Language Processing: AI that processes, interprets, and shares information in human language.

System name(s)

Not reported

Custom-developed code

Not reported

Public source code

Not reported

Sourcing

How it was built

Not reported

Vendor (as reported)

Not reported

Vendors (standardized)

None on the standard list

A vendor is the supplier named by the agency. It does not identify the underlying model or AI technology.

Data and privacy

Involves PII

Not reported

Privacy Impact Assessment

Not reported

Authorization to Operate

Not reported

Demographic features

Not reported

Training and evaluation data

Not reported

Federal Data Catalog

Not reported

Governance

0 of 8 minimum-practice questions answered. A blank answer means the agency reported nothing; it does not mean the practice is absent.

Potential impacts and how they were identified

Not reported