Introducing Pawla: AI-Powered assistant

As the head of engineering at our theme park Digital department, I’m always on the lookout for innovative ways to enhance our guests’ experiences. Today, I’m thrilled to share the story of our latest innovation: Pawla, an AI-powered chatbot that’s revolutionizing the way our visitors experience the park.

The birth of Pawla

Pawla started as a simple proof of concept. We wanted to explore how we could leverage AI to enhance our guests’ experiences. Using OpenAI’s ChatGPT as a foundation, we set out to create a virtual assistant that could answer questions about our park in real-time. The name “Pawla” came to me during a brainstorming session, and I must admit, I’m quite proud of it. It’s friendly, approachable, and has a subtle nod to the animal-themed areas of our park.

Pawla started as a proof of concept, a small experiment to see if we could leverage AI to improve customer service. Using OpenAI’s ChatGPT as a foundation, I set out to create a virtual assistant that could answer questions about our park in real-time. Little did I know that this seed of an idea would grow into a full-fledged product that’s now an integral part of our mobile app and soon to be featured on our website.

I’m particularly proud of the name “Pawla”. I gave it that name, it’s playful, memorable, and perfectly encapsulates the friendly, helpful nature of our AI assistant.

Technical Challenges and Triumphs

We built Pawla using OpenAI’s ChatGPT, integrating it with our company’s APIs to provide real-time information about ride wait times, schedules, and statuses. We also implemented RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), this technique enhances Pawla’s general knowledge, allowing it to answer a wide range of queries about our park’s non-real-time aspects. While our company primarily uses NodeJS, we initially attempted to develop Pawla in Python. However, we eventually settled on NodeJS for consistency with our existing systems. This decision streamlined our development process and made integration smoother.

A New Paradigm in Software Development

Creating Pawla was a fascinating departure from traditional software development. Instead of programming exact outcomes, i found myself in the realm of intent detection and AI guidance. It’s been an intriguing challenge to communicate our desired outcomes to an AI system that might interpret instructions differently each time.

One of the most significant hurdles we faced was the ambiguity of information. We quickly realized that without specific knowledge about our theme park, the AI could sometimes provide inconsistent or incorrect responses. This led us to invest heavily in training and instructing to ensure Pawla could accurately represent our park and its offerings.

Different Capabilities for Different Platforms

It’s worth noting that Pawla’s capabilities differ between our mobile app and the upcoming web version. This decision was based on the unique user needs and technical constraints of each platform. For instance, the mobile app version of Pawla can access more real-time data to provide more personalized recommendations, while the web version focuses more on general information and planning assistance.

The Impact

Pawla’s influence has been truly impressive. On average, we’re handling over 6k messages each day, which has led to a boost in visitor contentment. Guest feedback for Pawla has been overwhelmingly positive, with an average rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars. Moreover, 75% of interactions with Pawla receive a thumbs-up from users, indicating high satisfaction with the service.

Looking Ahead

As we continue to refine and expand Pawla’s capabilities, we’re excited about the possibilities. We’re exploring ways to personalize the experience even further, perhaps by allowing Pawla to make tailored recommendations based on a guest’s preferences and past visits. The success of Pawla demonstrates the power of AI in enhancing customer experiences. What started as a proof of concept has become an integral part of our park’s service offering, and we couldn’t be more proud.

Stay tuned for more updates on Pawla and other exciting innovations at our theme park!