Pre-enlistees unsure about what to expect in National
Service (NS) may soon have a virtual ‘buddy’ to turn to for
help.
A ‘chatbot’, or mobile messaging app, is in the works
to answer questions on NS matters, such as enlistment, deferment
and the Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT).
The My NS Buddy chatbot was mooted and is being
developed by engineers at the Defence Science and Technology Agency
(DSTA).
Giving a preview earlier this week, Defence Minister Ng
Eng Hen said it will help to better prepare national servicemen,
especially those starting basic military training (BMT). It is also
hoped it will help servicemen “get more out of their NS
experiences”, Dr Ng wrote on Facebook.
The DSTA told TODAY that the chatbot is planned to
undergo trials from November to get feedback from recruits, with
the aim of making it “more engaging and intuitive”.
The idea bloomed when a senior engineer of enterprise
IT at the DSTA Robin Ang was checking IPPT slots via the NS Portal
and wondered how such information could be obtained by simply
sending a message, Dr Ng said.
Mr Ang said he thought it would be useful to have his
NS questions answered instantly. “As national servicemen, we
are able to draw from our personal NS experiences and customise the
chatbot to make it fun and intuitive for the user,” he added.
On Dr Ng’s Facebook page, a preview showed the chatbot
fielding questions like what to wear when reporting for
enlistment.
Another question on what to expect from NS life yielded
this reply: “You will know when the time comes lah!! So kan chiong
(‘anxious’ in the Hokkien dialect) for what?”
“Joking la. Anyways, no words can describe NS life ...
Think you should watch this classic!” the chatbot suggested,
referring the user to the popular Every Singaporean Son video
series on life as a BMT recruit.
Young men due to enlist next year told TODAY the
chatbot would give them more reliable and impartial information on
NS than what they read on online forums or hear from friends.
Junior college student Raiden Tan, 19, said the chatbot
would allow him faster and “more accurate” information, since the
defence authorities would be in the know and people’s NS experience
might differ.
Temasek Polytechnic communications and media management
student Wilkin Ng, 20, said the chatbot could save him having to
navigate websites and he could return to the replies he gets: “I
can simply go to the chatbot and scroll through the
history.”
Mr Tan Yue Jun, 19, who reads applied food science and
nutrition at Temasek Polytechnic, said the chatbot would complement
what he hears from friends. “The chatbot may be more impartial,” he
added.
Parents backed the idea. Account manager Roy Tan, 50,
said that as the information is from the authorities, pre-enlistees
would “not go wrong” with it.
Sales manager Michael Tan, 45, said the developers can
“gather the views of everyone and come up with a ... moderate
answer that will give a clear view of what they can expect”.
todayonline