GGD Avatars

Municipality of Amsterdam

We want to use AI avatar videos to reach groups of citizens who are difficult for us to reach (speakers of other languages, people with low literacy levels, and those who find it difficult to access accurate and reliable information) and to improve their access to accurate and important municipal information, facilities and programmes (as well as services).

Last change on 2nd of July 2026, at 15:29 (CET) | Publication Standard 1.0

• Publication category: Impactful algorithms
• Impact assessment: IAMA, Privacy Quickscan
• Status: Out of use

General information

Theme

Health and Healthcare

Begin date

2024-05

End date

2026-02

Contact information

[e-mail]

Responsible use

Goal and impact

Almost all information from the local authority and the GGD is provided in writing and in Dutch. As a result, much important local authority information does not reach target groups who do not speak Dutch and/or have low literacy levels. We can improve communication by providing the information in their own language, not as text but in video format, on the website and through other channels. Research shows that video is the medium with the highest rate of information transfer.

To improve information transfer, we carried out a pilot as part of the EU CommuniCity project, in which informative texts about vaccinations were converted into videos in three languages using AI. In these videos, a human-like avatar narrates the text. They can be viewed on the GGD’s vaccination page. The initial results are promising; the videos are being viewed frequently. 

• Making information accessible to non-native speakers and people with low literacy levels. > Better information dissemination. 
• Quickly produce videos in different languages without high costs. 
• Versatile applications 

Considerations

Field not filled in.

Human intervention

There are two stages of human verification:

*the translated texts are checked by a communications adviser or translator

*the texts spoken by the avatar are checked by a communications adviser or translator. 

Risk management

There is no risk, as we do not handle user data.

Elaboration on impact assessments

The Privacy Quick Scan shows that a DPIA is not required. 

Impact assessment

• Human Rights and Algorithms Impact Assessment (IAMA)
• Privacy Quickscan

Operations

Data

No customer data is used.  

• The Communications department provides the data. They supply texts that have been checked ‘manually’ by a translator.  
• The texts that are spoken have been translated by AI and are spoken by an avatar. A member of the Communications team or a translator checks the translations.  
• The vendor uses Synthesia, D-ID or HeyGen to create avatars. 

Technical design

• The Communications department provides the data. They supply texts that have been checked ‘manually’ by a translator. D The texts that are spoken have been translated by AI and are voiced by an avatar. A member of the Communications team or a translator checks the translations. The vendor uses Synthesia, D-ID or HeyGen, for example, to create avatars. 

External provider

XS2AUDIO B.V.