USDA · USDA-177 · record R1475

Chatbot for IT Customer Help Desk

Department of Agriculture · Office of the Chief Information Officer

Overview

Development stage: DeployedSource: c) Deployed – The use case is being actively authorized or utilized to support the functions or mission of an agency.
High-impact designation: Not high-impactSource: c) Not high-impact
Impact justification: Not reported
Start date: 2025-06-30 (day precision)Source: 6/30/2025
Withheld from public reporting: Not reported

Mission

Topic area: Information Technology
Operational functions: Chatbot or virtual assistant Derived by keyword rules; see methodology

Problem the AI is intended to solve

The chatbot assists USDA staff with IT issues by answering common questions and initiating a support request if additional help is needed.

Expected benefits

Faster resolution of IT issues for customers, cost avoidance through fewer requests to helpdesk, decreased burden on helpdesk staff.

System outputs

The chabot provides customers with self-service knowledge articles. If the issue cannot be resovled by self-service, the chatbot will initiate a support request to USDA's IT service managment system.

Technology

AI classification: Generative AISource: Generative AI: AI that generates new or synthetic content (e.g., images, videos, audio, text, code).
System name(s): AgCloud
Custom-developed code: No
Public source code: Not reported

Sourcing

How it was built: Contract and in-houseSource: c) Developed with both contracting and in-house resources
Vendor (as reported): Steampunk
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: No
Privacy Impact Assessment: Not reported
Authorization to Operate: Yes
Demographic features: k) None of the above
Training and evaluation data: The chatbot retrieves IT knowledge articles that provide information about IT issues and the steps needed to resolve them. This dataset is internal to USDA.
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.

Pre-deployment testingNo answer reported

AI impact assessmentNo answer reported

Independent reviewNo answer reported

Ongoing monitoringNo answer reported

Operator trainingNo answer reported

Fail-safeNo answer reported

Appeal processNo answer reported

User and public consultationNo answer reported

Potential impacts and how they were identified

Not reported