Knowledge Assistant and Chatbot Pilots
Plan and test controlled AI assistants using approved materials, clear scope, and human-centered evaluation.
Backyard-AI helps public health and mission-driven organizations explore knowledge assistants, chatbots, and resource-navigation tools without jumping into risky or overbuilt solutions.
A chatbot is not a strategy. It is a workflow that needs boundaries.
AI assistants can help people find information, navigate resources, prepare drafts, or learn from approved materials. But they can also create risk if the audience, source materials, review process, and limits are not defined clearly.
A good pilot begins with scope, not software.
This is a good fit if your team is exploring:
Internal knowledge assistants
Community resource navigation support
Training or onboarding assistants
Program FAQ assistants
Recovery or support-resource navigation tools
Approved-source public information assistants
Custom GPT-style tools for a specific team or workflow
What the pilot planning process covers:
Audience and use-case definition
Approved source materials
Boundaries and out-of-scope topics
Risk and data considerations
Response review and testing process
Evaluation criteria
User feedback plan
Staff handoff and maintenance considerations
Important boundaries
Backyard-AI does not position AI assistants as replacements for clinical judgment, legal advice, crisis response, case management, or public health decision-making. Controlled assistants should be narrow, source-aware, tested, and reviewed based on the intended use.
Process
Step 1: Feasibility and scope
We clarify the audience, use case, risk level, source materials, and whether an assistant is the right approach.
Step 2: Knowledge base planning
We identify the approved materials the assistant should use and organize them for better retrieval and review.
Deliverables
Depending on scope, the pilot may include:
Use-case and scope memo
Approved-source inventory
Knowledge-base structure
Assistant instructions or prototype plan
Testing scenarios
Risk and boundary notes
Evaluation framework
Staff training or handoff guide
Step 3: Prototype or pilot design
We plan the assistant’s instructions, boundaries, testing scenarios, escalation language, and evaluation criteria.
Step 4: Testing and recommendations
We review outputs, identify risks, refine scope, and prepare recommendations for launch, revision, or pause.
Timeline and pricing
Typical timeline: 6-8 weeks for a controlled planning or pilot engagement
Typical range: often $15,000-$45,000+ depending on scope, source materials, testing needs, and level of build support
Final pricing is quoted after discovery.
Considering a chatbot or knowledge assistant?
Start with a readiness call. Backyard-AI can help you decide whether an assistant makes sense, what it should do, what it should avoid, and how to test it responsibly.