Public sector services could draw a lot of inspiration from how the automotive industry uses artificial intelligence as a partner for humans, says Ewa Tawaststjerna, Director of Digital Government at Gofore. For example, Valtra’s conversational manual would be a versatile innovation for the public sector.
In the automotive industry, AI is increasingly being used as a partner for humans, not just for automation. Tractor manufacturer Valtra, together with Gofore, developed a concept where AI acts as a conversational manual for farmers, as part of everyday work, not as a separate system.
The Talking Tractor mobile application brings together information related to tractor use, from manuals to telemetry and work logs, and enables users to ask questions in their own language using speech or text. First presented at the AgriTechnica fair in late 2025, the application is planned to be released during 2026.
AI supporting service pathways
The use of AI, such as a talking tractor, demonstrates how services could operate in the future—whether in agriculture, government services, or healthcare service paths. It’s not about AI knowing more, but about its ability to help at the right moment.
– The talking tractor demonstrates the benefits of AI specifically as a support tool. The user can ask questions in their own language, and the system understands the context and acts as a manual that helps guide them along the path. AI doesn’t just display data like a search engine; it directs actions and next steps, Ewa Tawaststjerna explains.
Right things at the right time
AI can help users do the right things in the right order during the process they have started. AI already technically enables very equal service in a diverse society, where users could interact at least to some extent in their own native language. When dealing with an AI agent that understands and produces speech, there would be no need to even know how to read, Tawaststjerna adds.
– In public services, users often need to know what to ask, where to ask, and which terms to use. This is difficult for many, especially for elderly users, those facing a language barrier, or those experiencing digital fatigue. Actual chatbots did not fail technically, but rather because they were built to answer questions, not to accompany the user throughout the process, she says.
When AI is driven to think this way, it also raises the question of what kinds of skills and experience it should be able to carry.
AI as part of an organisation’s memory
According to Tawaststjerna, the main challenge in the public sector is often not a lack of information or expertise, but rather their fragmentation and complexity. When rules, exceptions, responsibilities, and practices are divided among multiple systems and experts, the risk of misunderstandings, errors, and failures in handling matters increases—from both the user’s and the organisation’s perspective.
– In public services, systems often know the rules but not the situation. People, on the other hand, understand the bigger picture, exceptions, and practical constraints. The true potential of AI is only realised when it is taught to combine these two, Tawaststjerna says.
Thinking like a talking tractor highlights that AI can serve purposes beyond simply answering individual questions. It can carry experiential, so-called tacit knowledge: an understanding of how processes actually progress, where people typically need support, and what kinds of exceptions arise in everyday situations. When this knowledge becomes part of AI, dependence on individual experts decreases and onboarding new professionals becomes significantly faster.
Strategic partnership helps shape the best tractor experience on the market. Farm machines of the future are independent, efficient and eco-friendly. Nordic industry giant Valtra is developing world-class tractors and revolutionising the field of mobile machines together with Gofore.