Welcome to WorkerBot!

27 February 2025

WorkerBot is a proof-of-concept collaboration between the University of Manchester and FiftyEight (https://fiftyeight.io/), funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Impact Acceleration Account (IAA). This chatbot is designed to assist seasonal migrant workers in the UK by providing quick access to essential information about the Seasonal Worker Visa Scheme. It is developed using entirely open-source solutions that can be deployed locally. The programme is supported by the Seasonal Workers Taskforce stakeholders group in the West Midlands, UK. Next week, we will commence a worker trial to gather initial feedback.  (link to a 2-minute video)

Key Features and Benefits

  • Accessible Information: WorkerBot offers straightforward answers on topics such as application processes, visa requirements, worker rights, addressing grievances, etc. It simplifies complex procedures into easy-to-understand language.
  • Voice Interaction: Beyond text-based communication, WorkerBot features robust voice input capabilities—including real-time transcription—and voice output (upcoming), enabling workers to both speak and listen to the information. This multimodal interaction is particularly beneficial for users who have limited literacy or just prefer auditory guidance.
  • Multi-Lingual Capabilities: To serve a diverse workforce, WorkerBot aims to supports multiple languages. This ensures that non-native English speakers (who make up most of the potential users) can access reliable, localised information in their preferred language, making the service inclusive and accessible.

Why WorkerBot Matters

WorkerBot transforms traditional support channels of information by offering a modern, intuitive interface that provides instant, clear, and accessible guidance. With its voice interaction, multi-lingual support, and emphasis on user-centric responses, WorkerBot empowers seasonal workers by bridging the information gap, reducing stress, and help to address labour exploitation in the business supply chain.

To access WorkerBot, please email enduringnet at gmail dot com.

Play Video

A. Getting Started

From the default landing page, you can ask your queries and receive guidance. Settings are already set to a default, so you can start asking your queries right away.

Navigating the Application: You can navigate the application using the sidebar. If it is not already open, you can click  on the top-left corner of the screen to open it. Here's what you will find:

  • New Chat Button: Click this button to clear all current conversation history and start a new chat session.
  • Settings: Customise the app settings here.
  • About: Learn more about WorkerBot and its development.

 

B.  Using the Chat Interface

Text Input

  • Ask a Question: At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see a text box labeled "Ask your question...". Type your query about seasonal work (for example, "How do I apply for seasonal work?") and press Enter or click the send button on the right.
  • Responses: Your question will appear in the conversation history, and the assistant’s answer will be displayed below your query. All your queries and the assistant’s answers are displayed in chronological order. Each entry is marked as either "You" (for your questions) or "Assistant" (for the responses).

Voice Input

  • Record Your Query: Next to the text input, there’s a microphone icon. Click it to record your voice.
  • Transcription: The app will convert your spoken words into text. A small notification (toast) will show the transcribed text, and the query will then be answered.

Providing Feedback

  • Feedback Button: Under each assistant response, you’ll see a "Provide Feedback" button.
  • Rate the Answer: Click the button to rate whether the answer was helpful. The options are: "Yes, completely", "Somewhat" and "No".
  • Optionally, add comments to explain your rating and click on ‘Submit Feedback’ button. This feedback is saved along with the conversation log.

Reset Conversation: Click the "New Chat" button on the sidebar to start a fresh conversation. This will clear the current chat history, and any feedback provided.

 

C. Settings

  • Model Selection: Under the "Settings" expander on the sidebar, you can choose the answer model from a list (e.g., "Mistral-Small", "Llama3.3:70B", etc.). This changes the LLM generating responses. Available models include: Mistral-Small (22B), 3 (70B), 2 (3B) and 1 (8B).

The number (e.g., 22B) indicates the size of the model. Larger models typically provide better outputs but require more time to process queries.

  • Temperature Slider: Adjust the creativity of responses using the temperature slider. A higher value results in more variation in answers (same question might result in a slightly different response); a lower value makes responses more standard.

 

D.  How It Works in the Background

Knowledge Base: WorkerBot uses a pre-built vector database containing information about the UK Seasonal Worker Scheme.

Language Model: When you ask a question, the app retrieves relevant information from the knowledge base and generates an answer using a language model selected in settings.

Voice Transcription: If you use the microphone, your audio is processed using an ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition) pipeline based on a pre-trained Whisper model.

Conversation Memory: The app maintains a conversation history to keep context, and it automatically saves the conversation after each query and feedback.

 

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