Mercy introduced “Joy,” a groundbreaking artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that allows workers to access information about their employee benefits, according to a company press release.
The chatbot, which was developed in collaboration with Microsoft, uses generative AI to act as a super-smart assistant, according to the release. It acts as as a personal benefits guru, understanding questions and providing answers instantly.
“Joy addresses a long-standing challenge faced by our co-workers,” Kerry Bommarito, Mercy vice president of enterprise data science, wrote in the press release. “Before Joy, navigating through tens or even hundreds of documents on our intranet for benefits information was time consuming and complicated.”
“With Joy, it’s as simple as having a conversation with someone who has all the answers and can respond to your questions and offer an explanation 24/7,” Bommarito wrote.
Joy is powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and other Azure AI and data solutions, according to the release. It uses a large language model, which is like a giant library filled with knowledge. Joy responds to inquiries about benefits in a way that “feels familiar and even human,” according to the release.
Mercy reported it employed more than 7,400 hospital-based workers in Springfield in 2023. The Springfield Business Development Corporation reported Mercy had more than 9,200 employees in the Springfield metro area in the winter of 2023.
