Generative AI Assistant for Public Transport Using Scheduled and Real-Time Data

Sammanfattning

This thesis presents the design and implementation of a generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based decision-support interface applied to the domain of pub- lic transport leveraging both offline and logged data from both past records and real-time updates. The AI assistant system was developed leveraging pre- trained Large Language Models (LLMs) together with Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) and the Function Calling Application Programming Inter- face (API), provided by OpenAI, for automating the process of adding knowl- edge to the LLM. Challenges such as formatting and restructuring of data, data retrieval methodologies, accuracy and latency were considered. The result is an AI assistant which can have a conversation with users, answer questions re- garding departures, arrivals, specific vehicle trips, and other questions relevant within the domain of the dataset. The AI assistant system has also been devel- oped to provide client-side actions that integrate with the user interface, enabling interactive elements such as clickable links to trigger relevant actions based on the content provided Different LLMs, including GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 with different temperatures, were compared and evaluated with a pre-defined set of questions paired with a respective ground truth. By adopting a conversational approach, the project aims to streamline infor- mation extraction from extensive datasets, offering a more flexible and feedback- oriented alternative to manual search and filtering processes. This way, traffic managers adapt and operate more efficiently. The traffic managers will also re- main informed about small disturbances and can act accordingly faster and more efficient. The project was conducted at Gaia Systems AB, Norrköping, Sweden. The project primarily aims to enhance the workflow of traffic managers utiliz- ing Gaia’s existing software for public transport management within Östgöta- trafiken.