Gulnaz Ismagilova spoke about Tatarstan's practice of using artificial intelligence in conducting business audits
Gulnaz Ismagilova, Deputy Minister of Economy of Tatarstan, joined a press conference today with a report on updates to the Verified Business Internet resource and the creation of a personal assistant for entrepreneurs using artificial intelligence algorithms on its basis, which will help businesses prepare for inspections and other supervisory measures.
The Internet resource "Verified Business" has been operating in Tatarstan since 2018 to promptly inform businesses about the current legal requirements in the field of control (supervisory) activities. The project was launched on the initiative of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Tatarstan together with the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic.
It is a free digital platform of useful knowledge and services in the field of control (supervisory) activities and provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to prepare for the audit. The electronic audit log posted on the resource allows you to get acquainted with the administrative burden on a business both in relation to a specific legal entity and in relation to the entire republic as a whole.
The portal contains typical violations committed by entrepreneurs and ways to prevent them with links to the STI; standard questions and answers on business interaction with control (supervisory) authorities.
The practice was positively assessed by the country's leadership as a tool that fully correlates with the work that is being carried out at the federal level in the field of control and supervisory activities - increasing transparency in the conduct of control measures of any form, building a comfortable dialogue between control authorities and business, and shifting the focus to the prevention of violations.
This approach allows companies to focus on their main objectives – stable operation, profit generation and business scaling - without excessive pressure from the inspection authorities. In Tatarstan, taking into account the current moratorium, the total number of inspections in 2024 decreased by more than 4 times compared to 2019.
Today, reducing the administrative burden on business and creating comfortable conditions for its development is a priority task for all levels of government in the republic.
At the same time, federal legislation provides for the possibility of conducting inspections within the framework of a risk-based approach (in accordance with the established frequency of scheduled inspections for facilities classified as extremely high risk and high risk), as well as when risk indicators are triggered indicating a possible violation of mandatory requirements.
To prepare entrepreneurs for the upcoming audit, interactive questionnaires (checklists) are posted on the Verified Business portal. This is an action list that helps entrepreneurs prepare for the control and supervisory event point by point.
Also, in a pilot mode, the portal has implemented a robotic assistant – a chatbot in the Telegram messenger using artificial intelligence within the framework of the GosPrompt project*.
"Artificial intelligence is becoming an indispensable assistant in all fields of activity, including entrepreneurship, providing various growth opportunities, optimizing processes and increasing profits. The chatbot was implemented in the Verified Business resource based on requests from entrepreneurs. The tool is able to promptly provide up-to-date information, advise on business issues and accompany the verification process," said Gulnaz Ismagilova, Deputy Minister of Economy.
The chatbot was implemented based on entrepreneurs' requests for a digital assistant that can promptly provide up-to-date information, advise on business issues, and accompany the verification process.
With the help of a chatbot, an entrepreneur will be able to prepare for the upcoming inspection by the inspector and conduct a dialogue with artificial intelligence, obtain an algorithm for behavior during the inspection, and substantiate the submission of documents requested by the inspector. The smart assistant will let you know about the scheduled inspections in the current year and the procedure for their implementation.
The introduction of a chatbot increases the legal security of the business and helps the entrepreneur prepare for the upcoming inspection - to obtain an algorithm of actions during the control event, substantiate the submission of documents requested by the inspector, and tell about the main stages of the control event.
"The chatbot's functionality will be constantly improved, taking into account the positive feedback from users and changes in legislation," said Bulat Zamaliev, Commissioner for Artificial Intelligence Technologies in the Republic of Tatarstan.
The online assistant also received a positive business assessment. The entrepreneur was noted for the efficiency and clarity of processing requests, as well as the 24/7 working hours.
For reference:
*GOSPROMT AI assistant is a smart assistant that uses modern neural networks and large open source language models to automate and improve the efficiency of public administration.