Information processing device, information processing system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

Generates responses based on updated user-specific information. [Solution] The information processing device comprises: an update detection unit that detects updates to user-specific information; an information registration unit that registers the detected user-specific information; an input reception unit that accepts input of question data; a search request unit that requests the search for user-specific information based on the question data; a generation request unit that requests a large-scale language model to generate answer data for the question data based on the search results for user-specific information; and an information output unit that outputs the answer data output from the large-scale language model.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a chatbot system that provides an answer corresponding to a question when a user inputs a question. Some chatbot systems of this type search for information related to the question from user-specific information not generally disclosed, and present an answer to the input question based on the search results of the user-specific information.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] User-specific information may be described in documents stored in an external storage device. In the prior art, when the user-specific information described in a document is updated, if the updated user-specific information is not manually registered, an answer will be generated based on the user-specific information before the update.

[0004] The disclosed technology has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to generate an answer based on the updated user-specific information.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The disclosed technology is an information processing apparatus including an update detection unit that detects an update of user-specific information, an information registration unit that registers the detected user-specific information, an input reception unit that receives an input of question data, a search request unit that requests a search for the user-specific information based on the question data, a generation request unit that requests a large language model to generate answer data for the question data based on the search results of the user-specific information, and an information output unit that outputs the answer data output from the large language model.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] It can generate responses based on updated, user-specific information. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a chat system. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of a terminal device. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of a conversation history memory unit. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of a question and answer memory unit. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of a document storage unit. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of a user information storage unit. [Figure 8] This diagram illustrates the functions of each component in the chat system. [Figure 9] This is the first sequence diagram explaining the operation of the chat system. [Figure 10] The first figure shows an example of a terminal device display. [Figure 11] The second figure shows an example of a terminal device display. [Figure 12] This is the second sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the chat system. [Figure 13] The first figure shows an example of a prompt. [Figure 14] This is the third diagram, showing an example of a terminal device display. [Figure 15] The fourth figure shows an example of a terminal device display. [Figure 16] This is the third sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the chat system. [Figure 17] The second figure shows an example of a prompt. [Figure 18] The third figure shows an example of a prompt. [Figure 19] It is a fourth figure showing an example of a prompt. [Figure 20] It is a fifth figure showing a display example of a terminal device.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a chat system.

[0009] The chat system 100 of the present embodiment includes an information processing device 200, a first storage device 300, a second storage device 400, a server device 500, a terminal device 600, a terminal device 700, a terminal device 800, and an external storage device 900, and is an example of an information processing system in which each is communicably connected to each other via a communication network 1.

[0010] In the chat system 100, the information processing device 200, the first storage device 300, the second storage device 400, and the server device 500 provide a chatbot service to the user of the terminal device 600.

[0011] The first storage device 300 has a conversation history storage unit 310 and a question-and-answer storage unit 320. The conversation history storage unit 310 stores conversation history information in which questions and answers are associated. In other words, the conversation history storage unit 310 is an example of a group of conversation history information in which question data indicating a question input from the terminal device 600 and answer data indicating an answer output to the terminal device 600 are associated. Note that the conversation history information may be managed for each tenant that introduces the chat system 100.

[0012] The tenant of the present embodiment may be an organization such as a company, and may be the affiliation to which the user who uses the chat system 100 belongs.

[0013] The question-and-answer memory unit 320 stores question-and-answer information in which questions and answers are associated. In other words, the question-and-answer memory unit 320 is an example of a group of question-and-answer information in which question data indicating a question and answer data indicating an answer are associated. Note that the question-and-answer information may be stored in the question-and-answer memory unit 320 in advance. The question-and-answer information may be stored for each tenant that introduces the chat system 100.

[0014] In the following description, the question data included in the question-and-answer information stored in the question-and-answer memory unit 320 is referred to as "registered question data". Also, the answer data included in the question-and-answer information stored in the question-and-answer memory unit 320 is referred to as "registered answer data".

[0015] The second storage device 400 has a document storage unit 410 and a user information storage unit 420. The document storage unit 410 stores user-specific information that is not generally publicly available. The document storage unit 410 may store user-specific information for each tenant.

[0016] A user of the chat system 100 may be, for example, a tenant, and in that case, the user-specific information is tenant-specific information. Also, a user of the chat system 100 may be, for example, an individual user, and in that case, the user-specific information is user-specific information. In the following description, the user-specific information is referred to as "intra-company information", and the intra-company information is taken as an example of the user-specific information.

[0017] Internal information refers to data managed by an organization consisting of multiple members, and may include data stored in a database managed by that organization. The organization may include, for example, a for-profit organization such as a company, or a non-profit organization such as a hospital, school, or cram school. As an example, internal information managed by a hospital may include patient information such as medical records. In this case, the chat system 100 can generate response data including diagnostic content based on the patient information. As another example, internal information managed by a school or cram school may include information regarding the learning status or academic performance of users such as students. In this case, the chat system 100 can generate response data including appropriate practice problems or video lessons based on the learning status or academic performance information.

[0018] The user information storage unit 420 stores user information about users belonging to a tenant. The user information storage unit 420 may store user information for each tenant.

[0019] The external storage device 900 has a document storage unit 910. The document storage unit 910 stores one or more documents. The documents are electronic data containing company information. The external storage device 900 is a storage device that can read and write electronic data via the communication network 1. The external storage device 900 may be, for example, cloud storage or NAS (Network Attached Storage).

[0020] Documents stored in the document storage unit 910 become the originals of the company information stored in the document storage unit 410. Documents may be electronic files recorded in any file format. For example, documents may be recorded in PDF (Portable Document Format), text format, word processing format, spreadsheet format, presentation format, etc.

[0021] The server device 500 has a large-scale language model storage unit 510 and implements generative AI (Artificial Intelligence). The generative AI generates text data in response to input prompts, such as ChatGPT (registered trademark), and outputs it to the information processing device 200. In this embodiment, the prompt is text data that represents instructions or questions to the generative AI implemented by the server device 500.

[0022] Terminal device 600 is primarily used by users of the chat system 100. Specifically, terminal device 600 sends question data, which indicates a question for the chat system 100, to information processing device 200. Terminal device 600 also receives answer data from the information processing device 200, which indicates the answer to the question indicated by the question data, and displays it in association with the input question data.

[0023] In the following explanation, the question data transmitted from the terminal device 600 to the information processing device 200 and input into the information processing device 200 will be referred to as "input question data." The answer data output from the information processing device 200 and transmitted to the terminal device 600 will be referred to as "output answer data."

[0024] The terminal device 700 is primarily used by a first administrator who manages the chat system 100. In this embodiment, the question and answer information stored in the question and answer storage unit 320 of the first storage device 300, the document information stored in the document storage unit 410 of the second storage device 400, and the user information stored in the user information storage unit 420 may be stored in each storage unit by the first administrator, who is a user of the terminal device 700.

[0025] The terminal device 800 is primarily used by a second administrator who manages the external storage device 900. In this embodiment, the documents stored in the document storage unit 910 of the external storage device 900 may be stored in the document storage unit 910 by the second administrator, who is a user of the terminal device 800.

[0026] Each of the terminal devices 600, 700, and 800 may be, for example, a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet device, etc.

[0027] When a question is input from the terminal device 600, the information processing device 200 outputs an answer to the question to the terminal device 600. The information processing device 200 may generate the answer to the question by referring to the question answer storage unit 320 stored in the first storage device 300. The information processing device 200 may generate the answer to the question by referring to the document storage unit 410 stored in the second storage device 400.

[0028] The information processing device 200 detects updates to documents stored in the document storage unit 910 of the external storage device 900 and stores the company information described in the updated document in the document storage unit 410. Note that document updates may include the addition of new documents, updates to existing documents, and deletion of existing documents. In other words, document updates may include any operation that changes the content of documents stored in the document storage unit 910.

[0029] When the information processing device 200 stores company information in the document storage unit 410, it updates the question and answer information stored in the question and answer storage unit 320 based on that company information. The information processing device 200 searches the question and answer information stored in the question and answer storage unit 320 for question and answer information related to the updated company information. The information processing device 200 updates the registered answer data of the retrieved question and answer information based on the updated company information.

[0030] In this way, the chat system 100 detects updates to internal company information and updates the question-answer information and internal company information that are referenced when generating answers to questions, based on the updated internal company information. Therefore, according to this embodiment, there is no need to manually register the updated internal company information in the chat system 100, and answers based on the updated internal company information can be easily generated.

[0031] In the example shown in Figure 1, the information processing device 200, the first storage device 300, and the second storage device 400 are each represented as separate devices, but this is not limited to the example. The first storage device 300 and the second storage device 400 may be included in the information processing device 200.

[0032] Furthermore, in Figure 1, the information processing device 200 may be implemented by one or more information processing devices, or it may be implemented by multiple information processing devices.

[0033] Furthermore, the chat system 100 only needs to include an information processing device 200 and a terminal device 600, and other devices (for example, at least one of a first storage device 300, a second storage device 400, a server device 500, a terminal device 700, a terminal device 800, or an external storage device 900) do not need to be included in the chat system 100.

[0034] Next, an example of the hardware configuration of each device in the chat system 100 of this embodiment will be described.

[0035] In this embodiment, the information processing device 200, the first storage device 300, the second storage device 400, and the server device 500 are general-purpose computers. Figure 2 illustrates the hardware configuration of the information processing device 200 as an example.

[0036] In this embodiment, terminal devices 600, 700, and 800 are smartphones, and Figure 3 describes the hardware configuration of terminal device 600 as an example.

[0037] Figure 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device. The information processing device 200 shown in Figure 2 is built by a computer (information processing device) and includes a CPU 201, ROM 202, RAM 203, HD 204, HDD (Hard Disk Drive) controller 205, display 206, external device connection I / F (Interface) 208, network I / F 209, bus line 210, keyboard 211, pointing device 212, DVD-RW (Digital Versatile Disk Rewritable) drive 214, and media I / F 216.

[0038] Of these, the CPU 201 controls the operation of the entire information processing unit 200. The ROM 202 stores programs used to drive the CPU 201, such as IPL. The RAM 203 is used as the work area for the CPU 201. The HD 204 stores various data such as programs. The HDD controller 205 controls the reading or writing of various data to the HD 204 according to the control of the CPU 201. The display 206 displays various information such as cursors, menus, windows, characters, or images. The external device connection I / F 208 is an interface for connecting various external devices. In this case, external devices include, for example, USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory and printers. The network I / F 209 is an interface for data communication using a communication network. The bus line 210 is an address bus, data bus, etc., for electrically connecting each component such as the CPU 201 shown in Figure 2.

[0039] The keyboard 211 is a type of input means equipped with multiple keys for inputting characters, numbers, and various instructions. The pointing device 212 is a type of input means for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting processing targets, and moving the cursor. The DVD-RW drive 214 controls the reading or writing of various data to the DVD-RW 213, which is an example of a removable recording medium. Note that it is not limited to DVD-RW, but may also be DVD-R, etc. The media I / F 216 controls the reading or writing (storage) of data to the recording medium 215, such as flash memory.

[0040] Figure 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a terminal device. The terminal device 600 in this embodiment includes a CPU 601, ROM 602, RAM 603, EEPROM 604, CMOS sensor 605, image sensor I / F 606, acceleration / direction sensor 607, media I / F 609, and GPS receiver 611.

[0041] Of these, the CPU 601 is an arithmetic processing unit that controls the operation of the entire terminal device 600. The ROM 602 stores programs used to drive the CPU 601, such as the CPU 601 and the IPL. The RAM 603 is used as the work area for the CPU 601. The EEPROM 604 reads or writes various data, such as smartphone programs, according to the control of the CPU 601. The ROM 602, RAM 603, and EEPROM 604 are examples of the storage devices of the terminal device 600.

[0042] The CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor 605 is a type of built-in imaging device that captures an image of a subject (mainly a self-portrait) and obtains image data according to the control of the CPU 601. Note that an imaging device such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor may also be used instead of a CMOS sensor.

[0043] The image sensor interface 606 is a circuit that controls the driving of the CMOS sensor 605. The acceleration / direction sensor 607 is a variety of sensors such as an electronic magnetic compass, gyrocompass, and acceleration sensor that detect the Earth's magnetic field. The media interface 609 controls the reading or writing (storage) of data to the recording medium 608, such as flash memory. The GPS receiver 611 receives GPS signals from GPS satellites.

[0044] Furthermore, the terminal device 600 includes a long-range communication circuit 612, an antenna 612a for the long-range communication circuit 612, a CMOS sensor 613, an image sensor interface 614, a microphone 615, a speaker 616, an audio input / output interface 617, a display 618, an external device connection interface 619, a short-range communication circuit 620, an antenna 620a for the short-range communication circuit 620, and a touch panel 621.

[0045] Of these, the long-distance communication circuit 612 is a circuit that communicates with other devices via a communication network. The CMOS sensor 613 is a type of built-in imaging means that captures an image of a subject and obtains image data according to the control of the CPU 601. The image sensor interface 614 is a circuit that controls the driving of the CMOS sensor 613. The microphone 615 is a built-in circuit that converts sound into electrical signals. The speaker 616 is a built-in circuit that converts electrical signals into physical vibrations to produce sounds such as music and speech. The sound input / output interface 617 is a circuit that processes the input and output of sound signals between the microphone 615 and the speaker 616 according to the control of the CPU 601.

[0046] The display 618 is a type of display means, such as a liquid crystal or organic EL (electroluminescence), that displays images of the subject or various icons. The external device connection I / F 619 is an interface for connecting various external devices. The short-range communication circuit 620 is a communication circuit such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). The touch panel 621 is a type of input means that allows the user to operate the terminal device 600 by pressing the display 618. The display 618 is an example of a display device possessed by the terminal device 600.

[0047] Note that the hardware configuration shown in Figure 3 is just one example of a terminal device 600, and the hardware configuration of the terminal device 600 is not limited to this. The hardware configuration of the terminal device 600 may also be the configuration shown in Figure 2.

[0048] Next, we will explain each memory unit with reference to Figures 4 to 7.

[0049] Figure 4 shows an example of a conversation history storage unit. The conversation history information stored in the conversation history storage unit 310 shown in Figure 4 includes the following information items: conversation ID, date and time, tenant ID, question, answer, etc. The conversation history information is information in which the values ​​of each item are associated.

[0050] The value of the "Conversation ID" field is identification information used to identify the conversation. The value of the "Date and Time" field indicates the date and time when a question was entered into terminal device 600, or the date and time when an answer was output to terminal device 600. The value of the "Tenant ID" field is identification information that identifies the tenant to which the user of terminal device 600 belongs.

[0051] The value of the item "Question" indicates the data entered into the terminal device 600 as the question text (input question data). The value of the item "Answer" indicates the data output to the terminal device 600 as the answer text (output answer data).

[0052] Note that the conversation history information shown in Figure 4 is just an example, and the conversation history information in this embodiment may include items other than those shown in Figure 4.

[0053] Figure 5 shows an example of a question and answer storage unit. The question and answer information stored in the question and answer storage unit 320 shown in Figure 5 is provided for each tenant and may be managed by each tenant. In the example in Figure 5, the question and answer information managed by the tenant identified by tenant ID "11" is shown.

[0054] The question and answer information includes the tenant ID, question and answer ID, update date and time, question, and answer as information items. The question and answer information is associated with the items "tenant ID" and "question and answer ID" and the other items. In this embodiment, the question and answer information is information in which the value of the item "question and answer ID" is associated with the values ​​of the other items.

[0055] The value of the "Question / Answer ID" field indicates identification information that identifies the question and answer information. The value of the "Update Date and Time" field indicates the date and time the question and answer information was updated. The value of the "Question" field is text data representing the question (registered question data), and the value of the "Answer" field is text data representing the answer (registered answer data). Note that the values ​​of the "Question" and "Answer" fields are pre-stored by the administrator of each tenant.

[0056] Note that the question and answer information may include items other than those shown in Figure 5, such as "Contact Information" and "Links." The value of the "Contact Information" item indicates the contact information for users of the terminal device 600 when making inquiries related to the registered question data. The contact information may be, for example, an email address or telephone number. The value of the "Links" item indicates links that provide information related to the registered question data and registered answer data.

[0057] Furthermore, the items "Contact Information" and "Links" do not necessarily need to be stored in the question and answer storage unit 320. The question and answer storage unit 320 only needs to store the registered question data and the registered answer data.

[0058] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the first storage device 300 is provided in the information processing device 200, the question and answer information does not need to be assigned a tenant ID. The question and answer information may also be made accessible only to users who have access to the information processing device 200.

[0059] Figure 6 shows an example of a document storage unit. The internal company information stored in the document storage unit 410 shown in Figure 6 is provided for each tenant and may be managed by each tenant. In the example in Figure 6, the internal company information managed by the tenant identified by tenant ID "11" is shown.

[0060] In this embodiment, the document storage unit 410 divides the company information into predetermined units and stores each divided piece of information separately. In the following description, each divided piece of company information will be referred to as a "chunk." In the document storage unit 410, the chunks may be stored in association with identification information that identifies the chunk.

[0061] In Figure 6, one page of internal company information in an internal document is considered a chunk, and the page number is used as identifying information to distinguish the chunk. Note that chunks are not limited to one page of internal company information; for example, they could be paragraphs or chapters within an internal document.

[0062] Figure 7 shows an example of a user information storage unit. The user information stored in the user information storage unit 420 shown in Figure 7 is provided for each tenant and may be managed within each tenant. In the example in Figure 7, the user information managed in the tenant identified by tenant ID "11" is shown.

[0063] The user information in this embodiment includes the following information items: Tenant ID, User ID, Username, Email Address, etc. The value of the "Tenant ID" item is identification information that identifies the tenant to which the user identified by the User ID belongs. The value of the "User ID" item is identification information that identifies the user of terminal device 600. The "Username" item indicates the name of the user identified by the User ID. The value of the "Email Address" item indicates the email address of the user identified by the User ID.

[0064] In this embodiment, the user information storage unit 420 is stored in the second storage device 400, but the second storage device 400 does not necessarily have to contain the user information storage unit 420; it is sufficient if only the document storage unit 410 is provided.

[0065] Next, with reference to Figure 8, the functional configuration of each device included in the chat system 100 of this embodiment will be described. Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the functions of each device in the chat system.

[0066] First, the functional configuration of the information processing device 200 will be described. The information processing device 200 of this embodiment includes an update detection unit 251, an information registration unit 252, an input reception unit 253, a search request unit 254, a conversation history acquisition unit 255, an information acquisition unit 256, a prompt generation unit 257, a generation request unit 258, an information output unit 259, a screen output unit 260, and an answer update unit 261.

[0067] The update detection unit 251 detects updates to internal company information. The update detection unit 251 may also detect updates to internal company information by receiving document update notifications from the external storage device 900. The update detection unit 251 may also configure the external storage device 900 to send update notifications to the information processing device 200 when a document is updated. Hereinafter, the setting for sending document update notifications to the information processing device 200 will be referred to as "cooperation setting".

[0068] The information registration unit 252 requests the second storage device 400 to register internal company information. Specifically, the information registration unit 252 transmits a registration request containing the internal company information detected by the update detection unit 251 to the second storage device 400.

[0069] The input receiving unit 253 receives various inputs to the information processing device 200. Specifically, the input receiving unit 253 receives question data from the terminal device 600.

[0070] The search request unit 254 makes search requests to the first storage device 300 and the second storage device 400. Specifically, the search request unit 254 sends a search request to the first storage device 300 for the conversation history storage device 310, using the question data as the search key. The search request unit 254 also sends a search request to the second storage device 400 for the document storage device 410, based on a query generated by the server device 500.

[0071] The conversation history acquisition unit 255 acquires conversation history information from the first storage device 300. The conversation history acquisition unit 255 may also acquire conversation history information which is the result of the first storage device 300 searching the conversation history storage unit 310 in response to a search request from the search request unit 254.

[0072] The information acquisition unit 256 acquires internal company information from the second storage device 400. The information acquisition unit 256 may also acquire internal company information which is the search result obtained when the second storage device 400 searches the document storage device 410 in response to a search request from the search request unit 254.

[0073] The prompt generation unit 257 generates a prompt to be output to the server device 500. For example, when information to be included in the prompt is obtained, the prompt generation unit 257 generates a prompt in a predetermined format that includes the obtained information.

[0074] The generation request unit 258 requests the server device 500 to generate predetermined data. Specifically, the generation request unit 258 outputs a prompt generated by the prompt generation unit 257 to the server device 500. The generation request unit 258 may also request the server device 500 to generate output answer data for input question data. The generation request unit 258 may also request the server device 500 to generate new registered answer data for registered question data based on updated company information.

[0075] The information output unit 259 outputs various types of information from the information processing device 200. Specifically, the information output unit 259 outputs output response data to the terminal device 600 in response to the input question data received by the input reception unit 253.

[0076] The screen output unit 260 outputs screen data for displaying various screens. The screen data may be screen data written in, for example, HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language). The screen data may also include applications written in, for example, JavaScript (registered trademark).

[0077] Specifically, the screen output unit 260 transmits screen data to the terminal device 600 for displaying the input question data and output answer data in association. The screen output unit 260 also transmits screen data to the terminal device 700 for displaying the management screen for managing the chat system 100.

[0078] The administration screen allows users to input configuration information related to the integration settings. When new registered response data is generated based on updated internal company information, the administration screen may notify the primary administrator, who is a user of terminal device 700, of the update to the question and answer information. The administration screen may also display the newly generated registered response data in an editable format.

[0079] The answer update unit 261 requests the first storage device 300 to update the question and answer information. Specifically, the answer update unit 261 sends an update request to the first storage device 300 that includes new registered answer data generated based on the updated company information.

[0080] Next, the functions of the first storage device 300 will be described. The first storage device 300 includes a conversation history storage unit 310, a question and answer storage unit 320, a search unit 330, and a storage unit 340. The search unit 330 searches the conversation history storage unit 310 and the question and answer storage unit 320 in response to a search request from the information processing device 200, and transmits the search results to the information processing device 200. When input question data is input to the information processing device 200 and output answer data is output for the input question data, the storage unit 340 stores the conversation history information, including the input question data and the output answer data, in the conversation history storage unit 310.

[0081] Next, the functions of the second storage device 400 will be described. The second storage device 400 includes a document storage unit 410, a user information storage unit 420, a search unit 430, and a storage unit 440. The search unit 330 searches the document storage unit 410 and the user information storage unit 420 in response to a search request from the information processing device 200, and transmits the search results to the information processing device 200. When an operation to upload company information is performed by the administrator of the chat system 100 or the like, the storage unit 440 stores the new company information in the document storage unit 410.

[0082] Next, the functions of the server device 500 will be described. The server device 500 has a large-scale language model storage unit 510, an input unit 520, and an output unit 530. The large-scale language model storage unit 510 stores a large-scale language model 511 that realizes the generative AI.

[0083] The large-scale language model 511 of this embodiment is a computer language model that is generated by performing a training process using a vast amount of unlabeled text as training data and consists of an artificial neural network with many parameters. The large-scale language model 511 can capture much of the syntax and meaning of human language by being sufficiently trained with context-learning techniques such as next sentence prediction, which understands the context by determining whether sentence 1 and sentence 2 are consecutive, and a masked language model, which understands the context by masking words in a sentence and predicting the masked words from the words before and after them.

[0084] The input unit 520 inputs prompts sent from the information processing device 200 to the large-scale language model 511. The output unit 530 outputs (sends) the output data output from the large-scale language model 511 to the information processing device 200. In other words, the output unit 530 sends the output response data output from the large-scale language model 511 to the information processing device 200.

[0085] Next, the functions of terminal devices 600, 700, and 800 will be described. Each of the terminal devices 600, 700, and 800 includes a communication control unit 630, 730, and 830, an input receiving unit 640, 740, and 840, and a display control unit 650, 750, and 850.

[0086] Communication control units 630, 730, and 830 control communication between terminal devices 600, 700, and 800, respectively, and the information processing device 200. Input receiving units 640, 740, and 840 receive input to terminal devices 600, 700, and 800. Display control units 650, 750, and 850 control the display on terminal devices 600, 700, and 800.

[0087] Next, the functions of the external storage device 900 will be described. The external storage device 900 includes a document storage unit 910, a storage unit 920, and an update notification unit 930. When a document upload operation is performed by a second administrator or the like who manages the external storage device 900, the storage unit 920 stores the new document in the document storage unit 910.

[0088] The update notification unit 930 notifies a pre-configured notification destination of updates to a document stored in the document storage unit 910. When a document stored in the document storage unit 910 is updated, the update notification unit 930 sends a document update notification to the notification destination. The update notification unit 930 may also notify of document updates via, for example, a webhook.

[0089] Next, the operation of the chat system 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 9. Figure 9 is a first sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the chat system.

[0090] In the chat system 100, the information processing device 200 outputs screen data for displaying the management screen to the terminal device 700 via the screen output unit 260. The terminal device 700 displays the management screen on the display 618 via the display control unit 750 (step S101).

[0091] The display control unit 750 displays the linkage settings screen on the display 618 in response to an operation on the management screen by a first administrator or other user of the terminal device 700. The linkage settings screen is a screen for inputting setting information to send an update notification from the external storage device 900 to the information processing device 200.

[0092] The terminal device 700 receives the setting information entered on the linkage setting screen via the input receiving unit 740 (step S102). The terminal device 700 transmits the received setting information to the information processing device 200 via the communication control unit 730.

[0093] The configuration information includes identification information that identifies the information processing device 200 (e.g., hostname or URL). The configuration information may also include, for example, a webhook URL. The configuration information may also include information indicating the account to be targeted for update notifications (e.g., authentication information such as account name and password).

[0094] The configuration information may include information specifying the directories to which update notifications will be sent. For example, the configuration information may include path information indicating the top-level directory among the directories to which update notifications will be sent. For example, if the root directory is set as the target for update notifications, all documents stored on the external storage device 900 using the account to which update notifications will be sent will be subject to updates. The information included in the configuration information may differ depending on the type of external storage device 900.

[0095] The information processing device 200 sends a linkage request to the external storage device 900 via the update detection unit 251 (step S103). The linkage request includes the configuration information received in step S102. The external storage device 900 receives the linkage request from the information processing device 200 via the update notification unit 930. Based on the configuration information included in the linkage request, the update notification unit 930 performs a linkage process to send a document update notification to the information processing device 200 (step S104). From this point onward, the update notification unit 930 monitors the document storage unit 910, and when a document stored in the document storage unit 910 is updated, it sends a document update notification to the information processing device 200.

[0096] The terminal device 800 receives input of a new document to be stored in the external storage device 900 via the input receiving unit 840 (step S105). The terminal device 800 transmits the input new document to the external storage device 900 via the communication control unit 830.

[0097] The external storage device 900 receives a new document from the terminal device 800 via the storage unit 920. The storage unit 920 updates the document stored in the document storage unit 910 based on the new document (step S106).

[0098] Specifically, if a document with the same filename as the new document is stored in the document storage unit 910, the storage unit 920 updates the document stored in the document storage unit 910 with the new document. Furthermore, if a document with the same filename as the new document is not stored in the document storage unit 910, the storage unit 920 adds the new document to the document storage unit 910.

[0099] The external storage device 900, via the update notification unit 930, sends a document update notification to the information processing device 200 (step S107). The document update notification includes information indicating the document that was updated in step S106.

[0100] The information processing device 200 receives a document update notification from the information registration unit 252. The information registration unit 252 sends a document retrieval request to the external storage device 900 (step S108). The document retrieval request includes information indicating the document included in the document update notification.

[0101] The external storage device 900 receives a document retrieval request from the update notification unit 930. The update notification unit 930 retrieves the document indicated in the document retrieval request from the document storage unit 910. The update notification unit 930 transmits the retrieved document to the information processing device 200 (step S109).

[0102] The information processing device 200 receives a document from the external storage device 900 via the information registration unit 252. The information registration unit 252 transmits the received document to the second storage device 400. The second storage device 400 receives the document from the information processing device 200 via the storage unit 440. The storage unit 440 stores the company information described in the received document in the document storage unit 410 (step S110).

[0103] Specifically, the storage unit 440 divides the company information into chunks and stores the company information in the document storage unit 410 for each chunk. For example, if the document is company information consisting of multiple pages, the storage unit 440 divides the company information of multiple pages into chunks, treating each page as a chunk, associates the chunks with identification information that identifies the chunks, and stores them in the document storage unit 410.

[0104] The following describes the linkage settings screen displayed on the terminal device 700. Figure 10 is the first diagram showing an example of the display on the terminal device. The linkage settings screen 1000 shown in Figure 10 is an example of the linkage settings screen displayed on the terminal device 700 in step S101 of Figure 9.

[0105] The linkage settings screen 1000 has one or more setting buttons 1001. The linkage settings screen 1000 shown in Figure 10 has four setting buttons 1001-1 to 1001-4, but the number of setting buttons on the linkage settings screen may be three or fewer, or five or more. The setting buttons 1001 may be prepared in advance depending on the type of storage device that can be used as the external storage device 900. The setting buttons 1001 may be added or deleted in response to operations by a first administrator or the like, who is a user of the terminal device 700.

[0106] The settings button 1001 is a button that launches a settings input screen for entering setting information related to the linkage settings. The settings button 1001 displays information indicating whether the linkage settings for the corresponding external storage device 900 have been completed. For example, the settings button 1001 may display "Connected" if the linkage settings have been completed, and "Not Connected" if the linkage settings have not been completed. The linkage settings screen 1000 shown in Figure 10 indicates that the linkage settings for the external storage device 900 named "Storage A" have been completed, but the linkage settings for the other external storage devices 900 have not been completed.

[0107] Figure 11 is a second diagram showing an example of the display on the terminal device. The setting input screen 1100 shown in Figure 11 is an example of a setting input screen that is displayed on the terminal device 700 when the setting button 1001 on the linkage setting screen 1000 is pressed.

[0108] If the setting button 1001, which is set to "Connected" on the linkage settings screen 1000, is pressed, the setting input screen 1100 will display the setting information already configured on the external storage device 900. If the setting button 1001, which is set to "Not Connected" on the linkage settings screen 1000, is pressed, the setting input screen 1100 will display setting information that is either blank or has default values ​​entered.

[0109] The settings input screen 1100 has an account input field 1101, a password input field 1102, and a connect button 1103. The account input field 1101 is where the account name for logging into the external storage device 900 is entered. The password input field 1102 is where the password set for the account name is entered. The input fields on the settings input screen 1100 may differ depending on the information required to configure the linkage settings for the external storage device 900.

[0110] The connection button 1103 is a button for sending the setting information entered on the setting input screen 1100 to the external storage device 900. When the connection button 1103 is pressed, the input reception unit 740 of the terminal device 700 receives the setting information entered on the setting input screen 1100. Then, the communication control unit 730 of the terminal device 700 sends the setting information to the information processing device 200. The information processing device 200, via the update detection unit 251, sends a linkage request including the setting information to the external storage device 900.

[0111] Next, the operation of the chat system 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 12. Figure 12 is a second sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the chat system.

[0112] In the chat system 100, the information processing device 200 transmits a request to acquire question and answer information to the first storage device 300 via the information acquisition unit 256 (step S201). The information processing device 200 executes step S201 after executing step S110 shown in Figure 9. The information processing device 200 may execute step S201 immediately after executing step S110, or it may execute step S201 after a predetermined time has elapsed since executing step S110.

[0113] The information acquisition unit 256 may send a request to the first storage device 300 to acquire question and answer information classified into a predetermined category. The predetermined category may be determined based on the document registered in step S110. For example, the information acquisition unit 256 may classify the document registered in step S110 into one of a predetermined number of categories and send a request to acquire question and answer information classified into that category. The classification of the document may be performed, for example, by the large-scale language model 511.

[0114] The first storage device 300 reads question-answer information from the question-answer storage unit 320 using the search unit 330. The search unit 330 may identify question-answer information that falls under a category included in the acquisition request from among the question-answer information stored in the question-answer storage unit 320, and extract the identified question-answer information.

[0115] The search unit 330 of the first storage device 300 reads the question and answer information from the question and answer storage unit 320 and transmits the question and answer information to the information processing device 200. The information processing device 200 acquires the question and answer information using the information acquisition unit 256 (step S202).

[0116] The information processing device 200, via the search request unit 254, sends a search request to the second storage device 400 for internal company information related to the registered question data included in the question and answer information (step S203). The search request unit 254 sends a search request to the second storage device 400 specifying the document registered in step S110. In other words, the information processing device 200 sends a search request to the second storage device 400 to search for internal company information related to the registered question data among the internal company information described in the document updated in step S106.

[0117] When the second storage device 400 receives a search request, the search unit 430 searches the document storage unit 410 (step S204). The search unit 430 transmits the company information of the search results to the information processing device 200 (step S205).

[0118] The information processing device 200 acquires internal company information from the search results using the information acquisition unit 256. The information processing device 200 generates a prompt using the prompt generation unit 257 to request a determination of whether or not the question and answer information needs to be updated (step S206). This prompt includes the registered question data contained in the question and answer information acquired in step S202 and the internal company information described in the document registered in step S110. If the question and answer information needs to be updated, this prompt may also include text data requesting the generation of new registered answer data. Subsequently, the information processing device 200 sends the prompt generated in step S206 to the server device 500 using the generation request unit 258 (step S207).

[0119] When the server device 500 receives a prompt from the information processing device 200, the input unit 520 inputs the prompt to the large-scale language model 511, and the output unit 530 transmits the determination result, including the output data output from the large-scale language model 511, to the information processing device 200 (step S208). The output data from the large-scale language model 511 includes the determination result of whether or not the question answer information needs to be updated. If the question answer information needs to be updated, it includes new registered answer data generated by the large-scale language model 511. The following explanation assumes that new registered answer data has been generated.

[0120] In this embodiment, the processes from step S203 to step S208 are repeatedly executed for each piece of company information obtained as a search result from the first storage device 300.

[0121] When the information processing device 200 receives a judgment result including new registered answer data, the screen output unit 260 outputs screen data of a management screen notifying the update of the registered answer data to the terminal device 700. The terminal device 700, using the display control unit 750, displays the management screen notifying the update of the question answer information on the display 618 (step S209).

[0122] The display control unit 750 of the terminal device 700 displays an update suggestion screen on the display 618 that displays new registered answer data in response to an operation on the management screen by a first administrator or the like, who is a user of the terminal device 700 (step S210). The update suggestion screen is a screen for suggesting updates to question answer information. The update suggestion screen may display the new registered answer data in an editable format and accept editing of the new registered answer data.

[0123] The terminal device 700 accepts a save operation for new registered response data via the input reception unit 740 (step S211). The input reception unit 740 may accept editing of new registered response data before the save operation for new registered response data. In this case, the registered response data edited by the first administrator is reflected in the question answer information as new registered response data. The save operation for new registered response data may be performed without editing the new registered response data. In this case, the registered response data generated by the large-scale language model 511 is reflected in the question answer information as new registered response data.

[0124] The information processing device 200, via the answer update unit 261, sends a request to update the question and answer information to the first storage device 300 (step S212). The request to update the question and answer information includes question and answer information that associates the registered question data acquired in step S202 with the registered answer data received in step S211 (in other words, registered answer data edited by the first administrator, or registered answer data generated by the large-scale language model 511).

[0125] The first storage device 300 stores the question and answer information included in the update request in the question and answer storage unit 320 via the storage unit 340 (step S213). Specifically, the storage unit 340 identifies the question and answer information included in the update request from the question and answer information stored in the question and answer storage unit 320, and updates the registered answer data of the identified question and answer information with new registered answer data.

[0126] Next, with reference to Figure 13, an example of a prompt output from the information processing device 200 to the server device 500 will be described. Figure 13 is the first diagram showing an example of a prompt. The prompt 2000 shown in Figure 13 is an example of a prompt sent from the information processing device 200 to the server device 500 in step S206 of Figure 12.

[0127] Prompt 2000 includes text data 2001, 2002, and 2003. Text data 2001 requests a determination of whether or not the question and answer information needs to be updated, and if an update is necessary, it requests the generation of new registered answer data. Note that text data 2001 may include text data requesting the generation of multiple new registered answer data.

[0128] Text data 2002 is text data that shows the content of the registration question data obtained in step S202 (in other words, registration question data related to the internal information described in the document updated in step S106). Text data 2003 is text data that shows the content of the internal information obtained in step S205 (in other words, internal information described in the document updated in step S106).

[0129] In this embodiment, by inputting such a prompt 2000 into the large-scale language model 511 of the server device 500, the server device 500 can be made to determine whether or not it is necessary to update the registered response data based on the updated company information. Furthermore, if it is necessary to update the registered response data, the server device 500 can be made to generate new registered response data for the registered question data based on the updated company information.

[0130] The following describes the management screen displayed on the terminal device 700. Figure 14 is a third diagram showing an example of the display on the terminal device. The management screen 1200 shown in Figure 14 is an example of the management screen displayed on the terminal device 700 in step S209 of Figure 12.

[0131] The administration screen 1200 displays an update notification 1201 indicating that the question answer information needs to be updated when new registered answer data is generated. The update notification 1201 has a detail display button 1202. The detail display button 1202 is a button that launches an update suggestion screen that displays the new registered answer data.

[0132] Figure 15 is the fourth figure showing an example of the display on the terminal device. The update suggestion screen 1300 shown in Figure 15 is an example of an update suggestion screen that is displayed on the terminal device 700 when the detailed display button 1202 on the management screen 1200 is pressed.

[0133] The update suggestion screen 1300 has a document display field 1301, a question content display field 1302, a registration content display field 1303, a suggestion content display field 1304, a save button 1305, and a cancel button 1306. The document display field 1301 displays information indicating the updated document (e.g., file name). The question content display field 1302 displays the registered question data of the question and answer information that needs updating. The registration content display field 1303 displays the registered answer data of the question and answer information that needs updating.

[0134] The proposal content display field 1304 displays the new registered response data. The proposal content display field 1304 may also display the new registered response data in an editable format. If multiple new registered response data are generated by the large-scale language model 511, the updated proposal screen 1300 may have multiple proposal content display fields 1304.

[0135] The save button 1305 is used to save new registered response data. When the save button 1305 is pressed, the input reception unit 740 of the terminal device 700 accepts the operation to save the registered response data entered in the proposal content display field 1304. Then, the communication control unit 730 of the terminal device 700 transmits the new registered response data to the information processing device 200. The information processing device 200, via the response update unit 261, transmits an update request including the new registered response data to the first storage device 300.

[0136] The cancel button 1306 is used to discard newly registered response data. When the cancel button 1306 is pressed, the display control unit 750 of the terminal device 700 closes the update suggestion screen 1300 and returns to the management screen 1200. At this time, the display control unit 750 may also hide the update notification 1201 on the management screen 1200.

[0137] Next, the operation of the chat system 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 16. Figure 16 is a third sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the chat system.

[0138] The operation shown in Figure 16 is the operation when a user of terminal device 600 has logged into the chat system 100 using their own user ID and tenant ID, etc.

[0139] In the chat system 100, when the information processing device 200 receives input question data from the terminal device 600, it first searches the question-answer storage unit 320 of the first storage device 300. If the question-answer storage unit 320 does not contain registered answer data corresponding to the input question data, the information processing device 200 uses the large-scale language model 511 to generate answer data indicating the answer to the question indicated by the input question data.

[0140] In the chat system 100, when the terminal device 600 receives a question input via the input reception unit 640 (step S301), it transmits the input question data to the information processing device 200 (step S302). The input question data transmitted here may include the tenant ID of the tenant to which the user of the terminal device 600 belongs.

[0141] When the information processing device 200 receives input query data via the input reception unit 253, the search request unit 254 sends a search request including the tenant ID to the first storage device 300 (step S303).

[0142] When the first storage device 300 receives this search request, the search unit 330 searches the question and answer storage unit 320 (step S304) and transmits the search results to the information processing device 200 (step S305). Specifically, the first storage device 300 may search the question and answer storage unit 320 using the input question data as a search key and transmit to the information processing device 200 as a search result a pair of registered question data similar to the input question data and registered answer data associated with this registered question data.

[0143] Following step S305, the information processing device 200 determines whether or not it obtained registered response data in step S304, and if it did obtain registered response data, whether or not there are multiple registered response data entries (step S306).

[0144] If, in step S306, no registered response data has been obtained, that is, if no registered response data corresponding to the input question data exists in the question response storage unit 320, the information processing device 200 proceeds to step S318, which will be described later. If, in step S306, registered response data has been obtained and there is only one registered response data, the information processing device 200 proceeds to step S307, which will be described later. If, in step S306, registered response data has been obtained and there are multiple registered response data, the information processing device 200 proceeds to step S307.

[0145] In step S306, if multiple registered response data are obtained as search results, the information processing device 200 generates a prompt using the prompt generation unit 257 to request the user of the terminal device 600 to generate a question sentence to prompt the user to input further information (step S307). In other words, the information processing device 200 generates a prompt using the prompt generation unit 257 to request the generation of counter-question data indicating a counter-question.

[0146] The prompt generated here includes multiple registered response data obtained as search results by the information processing device 200 in step S305. Subsequently, the information processing device 200 transmits the prompt generated by the prompt generation unit 257 to the server device 500 (step S308).

[0147] The server device 500 inputs a prompt to the large-scale language model 511 via the input unit 520, and transmits the output data output from the large-scale language model 511 to the information processing device 200 via the output unit 530 (step S309). Here, the output data transmitted to the information processing device 200 is a question prompting the user of the terminal device 600 to input further information.

[0148] When the information processing device 200 receives output data input from the server device 500, the information output unit 259 outputs this output data to the terminal device 600 (step S310). In other words, the information processing device 200 sends a question to the terminal device 600 prompting the user of the terminal device 600 to input further information.

[0149] The terminal device 600, via the display control unit 650, displays the output data acquired from the information processing device 200 on the display 618 (step S311). In other words, the terminal device 600 displays a question prompting the user to input further information.

[0150] When the terminal device 600 receives additional input corresponding to the question via the input receiving unit 640 (step S312), it transmits the additionally entered data to the information processing device 200 (step S313). In the following description, the data additionally entered by the user will be referred to as additional input data. Additional input data is an example of additional question data.

[0151] When the information processing device 200 receives additional input data via the input receiving unit 253, the search request unit 254 outputs a search request to the first storage device 300 based on the input query data and the additional input data (step S314).

[0152] The operations from step S315 to step S317 are the same as the processes from step S304 to step S306, so their explanation will be omitted. In this embodiment, the operations from step S307 to step S317 are repeated until there is one registered response data obtained from the first storage device 300 as a search result.

[0153] If the information processing device 200 obtains only one registered response data as a search result, it proceeds to step S318. If the information processing device 200 obtains only one registered response data as a search result, the information output unit 259 outputs the obtained registered response data to the terminal device 600 as output response data (step S318). The terminal device 600 uses the display control unit 650 to display the output response data received from the information processing device 200 on the display 618 (step S319).

[0154] In this embodiment, questions prompting the user to provide additional information are generated until a one-to-one correspondence between the input question data and the registered answer data is obtained. Therefore, according to this embodiment, more information can be requested from the user, and the accuracy of the answers to the input question data can be improved.

[0155] In step S306, if registered response data has not been obtained, the information processing device 200 sends a search request including the tenant ID to the second storage device 400 via the search request unit 254 (step S320). At this time, the search request unit 254 may, for example, obtain conversation history information from the conversation history storage unit 310 immediately before input question data is entered, and send a search request including the input question data and the obtained conversation history information to the second storage device 400.

[0156] When the second storage device 400 receives this search request, the search unit 430 searches the document storage unit 410 (step S321) and transmits the search results to the information processing device 200 (step S322). Specifically, the second storage device 400 searches the document storage unit 410 using the input question data as a search key and obtains chunks that will serve as information sources for generating the answer.

[0157] When the information processing device 200 obtains search results from the second storage device 400 using the information acquisition unit 256, it determines whether or not there are multiple chunks obtained as search results (step S323). In other words, the information processing device 200 determines whether or not the number of chunks obtained from the second storage device 400 is greater than or equal to a threshold. Here, the threshold is 1.

[0158] If only one chunk is obtained as a search result in step S323, the information processing device 200 proceeds to step S335, which will be described later. If multiple chunks are obtained as search results in step S323, the information processing device 200 uses the prompt generation unit 257 to generate a prompt requesting the user of the terminal device 600 to input further information (step S324).

[0159] The operations from step S324 to step S329 are the same as those from step S307 to step S312, so the explanation will be omitted.

[0160] When the information processing device 200 receives additional input data from the terminal device 600 (step S330), the search request unit 254 sends a search request to the second storage device 400 using the input query data and the additional input data as search keys (step S331).

[0161] The operations from step S332 to step S334 are the same as those from step S321 to step S323, so their explanation is omitted. In this embodiment, the process from step S324 to step S334 is repeated until there is one chunk obtained as a search result from the second storage device 400.

[0162] In step S323, if only one chunk is obtained as a search result, the information processing device 200 uses the prompt generation unit 257 to generate a prompt requesting the generation of an answer if it is possible to generate an answer using the obtained chunk as an information source (step S335). In other words, the prompt generated in step S335 requests a decision on whether or not it is possible to generate an answer using the chunk as an information source, and if it is determined that it is possible to generate an answer, it requests the generation of an answer.

[0163] Next, the information processing device 200 sends the generated prompt to the server device 500 via the generation request unit 258 (step S336).

[0164] The server device 500 determines, based on the large-scale language model 511, that it is possible to generate an answer, and if output data containing an answer to the input question data is output, it sends the output data to the information processing device 200 (step S337). When the information processing device 200 receives the output data containing the answer from the server device 500, the information output unit 259 sends the output answer data containing the answer to the terminal device 600 (step S338).

[0165] If the server device 500 determines that it is impossible to generate a response using the large-scale language model 511, it sends output data indicating that it is impossible to generate a response to the information processing device 200 (step S339). When the information processing device 200 receives the output data indicating that it is impossible to generate a response from the server device 500, it sends output response data indicating that it is impossible to generate a response to the terminal device 600 using the information output unit 259 (step S340).

[0166] The terminal device 600, via the display control unit 650, displays the output response data on the display 618 (step S341). In other words, if the server device 500 determines that it is possible to generate a response, the terminal device 600 displays the response to the question indicated by the input question data; if the server device 500 determines that it is not possible to generate a response, a message to that effect is displayed.

[0167] In this embodiment, the large-scale language model 511 is used when there is no registered answer data corresponding to the input question data in the question answer storage unit 320. Therefore, according to this embodiment, even if no question answer information is stored in the question answer storage unit 320, the large-scale language model 511 can be used to present the user with an answer to the fingerprint indicated by the input question data.

[0168] Next, with reference to Figures 17 to 20, examples of prompts output from the information processing device 200 to the server device 500 will be described.

[0169] Figure 17 is a second figure showing an example of a prompt. The prompt 2100 shown in Figure 17 is an example of a prompt sent from the information processing device 200 to the server device 500 in step S307 of Figure 16.

[0170] Prompt 2100 contains text data 2101, 2102, and 2103.

[0171] Text data 2101 includes text data indicating that multiple registered response data exist for the input question data. Text data 2101 also includes text data requesting the generation of a question sentence to prompt the user to enter further information in order to narrow down the registered response data.

[0172] Text data 2102 is text data that includes input question data. Text data 2103 may include registered question data. The registered question data included in text data 2103 may be registered question data similar to the input question data, extracted as a result of a search by the question answer storage unit 320 using the input question data.

[0173] In this embodiment, by including input question data and registered question data similar to the input question data in the prompt, the large-scale language model 511 is made to generate a question that prompts for further information input in order to reduce the number of candidate output answer data.

[0174] Figure 18 is a third figure showing an example of a prompt. The prompt 2200 shown in Figure 18 is an example of a prompt sent from the information processing device 200 to the server device 500 in step S324 of Figure 16.

[0175] Prompt 2200 includes text data 2201, 2202, and 2203. Text data 2201 includes text data requesting the generation of a question to prompt the user of terminal device 600 to enter further information in order to narrow down the chunk.

[0176] Text data 2202 is text data that shows the content of the inquiry from the user of terminal device 600. Text data 2203 shows the chunks that serve as the information source used when generating the answer. In other words, the chunks contained in text data 2203 are multiple chunks extracted as a result of the search of the document storage unit 410 using the input question data.

[0177] In this embodiment, by generating such a prompt 2200, the large-scale language model 511 can be made to generate a question sentence that refers to the results of searching the document storage unit 410 based on the input question data.

[0178] Figure 19 is the fourth figure showing an example of a prompt. The prompt 2300 shown in Figure 19 is an example of a prompt sent from the information processing device 200 to the server device 500 in step S335 of Figure 16.

[0179] Prompt 2300 includes text data 2301, 2302, and 2303. Text data 2301 is text data that requests the generation of output answer data for the question indicated by the input question data, based on the information source.

[0180] Text data 2302 is text data that shows the content of an inquiry from the user of terminal device 600. Specifically, text data 2302 includes the question data "How many days of paid leave can I take?" which was received by the information processing device 200 in step S301.

[0181] Text data 2303 is text data indicating the information source. The information source indicated by text data 2303 is the company information obtained from the second storage device 400 in step S322 of Figure 16. In other words, the information source indicated by text data 2303 is the company information obtained as a search result when the document storage unit 410 is searched using a query generated from the user inquiry content of the terminal device 600.

[0182] In this embodiment, by inputting a prompt 2300 containing internal company information as an information source into the large-scale language model 511 of the server device 500, a response based on user-specific information can be obtained from the large-scale language model 511.

[0183] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, internal company information that serves as a source of information is obtained by searching based on queries that include the content of the user's inquiry. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to obtain answers to the user's inquiry from the large-scale language model 511 using internal company information that is highly likely to contain content related to the content of the user's inquiry as a source of information, thereby improving the accuracy of the answers.

[0184] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since a portion of the internal company information stored in the document storage unit 410 is extracted and included in the prompt, it is possible to obtain a response using internal company information as a source while satisfying the limit on the number of tokens that can be given to the large-scale language model 511 as a prompt.

[0185] Next, an example of the display of the terminal device 600 will be described with reference to Figure 20. Figure 20 is the fifth figure showing an example of the display of the terminal device. The screen 1400 shown in Figure 20 is an example of a screen that is displayed on the terminal device 600 in step S319 or step S341 of Figure 16.

[0186] Screen 1400 includes display areas 1401 and 1402. Display area 1401 displays input question data entered by the user of terminal device 600. Display area 1402 displays output response data from chat system 100. Display area 1402 may also include contact information 1402a and links 1402b.

[0187] Contact information 1402a includes information indicating contact details for users of the terminal device 600 if they wish to make further inquiries. This contact information may include, for example, an email address or telephone number. This contact information may be stored, for example, in the user information storage unit 420. Specifically, the user information storage unit 420 may store information indicating each user's assigned duties, etc., associated with the user ID.

[0188] When the information processing device 200 transmits output response data to the terminal device 600, it may obtain the email address of the user responsible for the task corresponding to the question indicated in the input question data and transmit it to the terminal device 600 along with the output response data.

[0189] Link 1402b is a link to display information related to the content indicated by the input question data and output response data. Link 1402b may also be a link to a document stored in the external storage device 900. The link to the document may be, for example, a URL (Uniform Resource Locator).

[0190] In this embodiment, the user of the terminal device 600 is notified of contact information for further inquiries, along with the questions, answers, and related information, along with the output response data. Therefore, according to this embodiment, a highly satisfactory response can be provided to the user.

[0191] Furthermore, the information processing device 200 of this embodiment may send a notification to the contact indicated in the contact information 1402a indicating that an inquiry has been received from a user of the terminal device 600. By sending such a notification, the user who is the contact for the inquiry can be prompted to prepare to respond to further inquiries.

[0192] In the embodiments described above, an example of user-specific information has been explained using internal company information, but user-specific information is not limited to this. User-specific information can also be applied to store information and user-specific information, for example. Store information includes store identification information (store name, address, telephone number), purchase history information, etc.

[0193] Furthermore, user-specific information includes personally identifiable information, account information, purchase history information, browsing history information, location information, preference information, activity information, etc.

[0194] Personally identifiable information includes information used to identify a specific individual, such as name, address, telephone number, and email address. Account information includes information related to a specific online account, such as username, password, and account number. Purchase history information includes information such as products and services purchased by the user, purchase date and time, and payment method. Browsing history information includes information such as pages viewed by the user on websites and apps, search history, and click history. Location information includes location-related information such as the user's current location and past travel history. Preference information is information indicating content preferences and tastes, including information about content, products, and services that the user may be interested in. Activity information is information about social media activity, including posts shared by the user, history of "likes" and comments, and people followed.

[0195] Furthermore, each function of the embodiments described above can be realized by one or more processing circuits. Hereinafter, "processing circuit" in this specification includes processors programmed to execute each function by software, such as processors implemented by electronic circuits, as well as devices such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), DSPs (digital signal processors), FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), and conventional circuit modules designed to execute each of the functions described above.

[0196] Furthermore, the apparatus described in each embodiment represents only one of several computing environments for carrying out the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0197] In one embodiment, the information processing device 200 includes a plurality of computing devices, such as a server cluster. The plurality of computing devices are configured to communicate with each other via any type of communication link, including a network or shared memory, and perform the processing disclosed herein. Similarly, the server device 500 and the information processing device 200 may include a plurality of computing devices configured to communicate with each other.

[0198] Furthermore, the information processing device 200 can be configured to share the disclosed processing steps in various combinations. For example, a process performed by a predetermined unit can be performed by the information processing device 200. Similarly, the functions of a predetermined unit can be performed by the information processing device 200. Also, each element of the information processing device 200 may be combined into a single server device or divided among multiple devices.

[0199] Furthermore, the information processing device 200 and terminal devices 600, 700, and 800 may be any devices equipped with communication functions. The information processing device 200 and terminal devices 600, 700, and 800 may be, for example, output devices such as PJ (Projector), IWB (Interactive White Board: a whiteboard with electronic blackboard functionality that enables mutual communication), digital signage, HUD (Head Up Display) devices, industrial machinery, imaging devices, sound collection devices, medical equipment, networked home appliances, automobiles (Connected Car), notebook PCs (Personal Computers), mobile phones, smartphones, tablet terminals, game consoles, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), digital cameras, wearable PCs, or desktop PCs.

[0200] Examples of the present invention are as follows:

[0201] (Note 1) An update detection unit that detects updates to user-specific information, An information registration unit that registers the detected user-specific information, An input receiving unit that accepts the input of question data, A search request unit requests the retrieval of user-specific information based on the aforementioned question data, A generation request unit requests a large-scale language model to generate response data for the question data based on the search results of the user-specific information, An information output unit that outputs response data from the aforementioned large-scale language model, An information processing device equipped with the following features. (Note 2) The information processing device is capable of communicating via a network with a storage device that stores electronic data containing user-specific information. The update detection unit detects updates to the user-specific information by receiving update notifications for the electronic data from the storage device. The information processing device described in Appendix 1. (Note 3) The update detection unit is configured to send an update notification to the information processing device when the electronic data is updated. The information processing device described in Appendix 2. (Note 4) The device further comprises a screen output unit that outputs screen data for inputting setting information to the storage device for sending the update notification to the information processing device. The information processing device described in Appendix 3. (Note 5) The search request unit further requests a search for question and answer information, where registered question data and registered answer data are associated, based on the question data. The information output unit outputs the registered answer data associated with the registered question data when the registered question data corresponding to the question data is retrieved. An information processing device as described in any of the appendices 1 to 4. (Note 6) The generation request unit further requests the large-scale language model to generate new registered response data for the registered question data based on the registered user-specific information. The information processing device described in Appendix 5. (Note 7) The system further includes a screen output unit that outputs screen data for displaying the new registered response data output from the large-scale language model. The information processing device described in Appendix 6. (Note 8) The screen output unit outputs the screen data that displays the newly registered response data in an editable format. The information processing device described in Appendix 7. (Note 9) The system further includes a response update unit that updates the registered response data included in the question and answer information with the new registered response data. The information processing device described in Appendix 8. (Note 10) An information processing system in which a terminal device and an information processing device can communicate via a network, The aforementioned information processing device is An update detection unit that detects updates to user-specific information, An information registration unit that registers the detected user-specific information, An input receiving unit that receives question data from the aforementioned terminal device, A search request unit requests the retrieval of user-specific information based on the aforementioned question data, A generation request unit requests a large-scale language model to generate response data for the question data based on the search results of the user-specific information, An information output unit that outputs response data output from the large-scale language model in response to the aforementioned request to the terminal device, Equipped with, The aforementioned terminal device is The system includes a display control unit that displays the aforementioned question data and the aforementioned answer data in association on a display device. Information processing system. (Note 11) Information processing device, Procedures for detecting updates to user-specific information, A procedure for registering the detected user-specific information, Procedures for receiving input of question data, A procedure for requesting the retrieval of user-specific information based on the aforementioned question data, A procedure for requesting a large-scale language model to generate response data for the question data based on the search results of the user-specific information, A procedure for outputting response data from the aforementioned large-scale language model, An information processing method that performs the following. (Note 12) In an information processing device, Procedures for detecting updates to user-specific information, A procedure for registering the detected user-specific information, Procedures for receiving input of question data, A procedure for requesting the retrieval of user-specific information based on the aforementioned question data, A procedure for requesting a large-scale language model to generate response data for the question data based on the search results of the user-specific information, A procedure for outputting response data from the aforementioned large-scale language model, A program to execute.

[0202] Although the present invention has been described above based on various embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the requirements shown in the above embodiments. These points can be modified as long as they do not impair the spirit of the present invention, and can be appropriately determined according to their application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0203] 100 Chat Systems 200 Information Processing Devices 251 Update detection unit 252 Information Registration Department 253 Input Reception Section 254 Search Request Section 255 Conversation History Acquisition Unit 256 Information Acquisition Department 257 Prompt generation unit 258 Generation request section 259 Information Output Unit 260 Screen output section 261 Answer update section 300 First memory device 310 Conversation history memory unit 320 Question and answer storage section 400 Second storage device 410 Document Storage Unit 420 User Information Storage Unit 500 Server Devices 511 Large-scale language models 600, 700, 800 terminal devices [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0204] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-131755

Claims

1. An update detection unit that detects updates to user-specific information, An information registration unit that registers the detected user-specific information, An input receiving unit that accepts the input of question data, A search request unit requests the retrieval of user-specific information based on the aforementioned question data, A generation request unit requests a large-scale language model to generate response data for the question data based on the search results of the user-specific information, An information output unit 259 outputs response data output from the large-scale language model, An information processing device equipped with the following features.

2. The aforementioned information processing device is capable of communicating via a network with a storage device that stores electronic data containing user-specific information. The update detection unit detects updates to the user-specific information by receiving update notifications for the electronic data from the storage device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The update detection unit is configured to send an update notification to the information processing device when the electronic data is updated. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The device further comprises a screen output unit that outputs screen data for inputting setting information to the storage device for sending the update notification to the information processing device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3.

5. The search request unit further requests a search for question and answer information, where registered question data and registered answer data are associated, based on the question data. The information output unit outputs the registered answer data associated with the registered question data when the registered question data corresponding to the question data is retrieved. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The generation request unit further requests the large-scale language model to generate new registered response data for the registered question data based on the registered user-specific information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5.

7. The system further includes a screen output unit that outputs screen data for displaying the new registered response data output from the large-scale language model. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6.

8. The screen output unit outputs the screen data that displays the newly registered response data in an editable format. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7.

9. The system further includes a response update unit that updates the registered response data included in the question and answer information with the new registered response data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8.

10. An information processing system in which a terminal device and an information processing device can communicate via a network, The aforementioned information processing device is An update detection unit that detects updates to user-specific information, An information registration unit that registers the detected user-specific information, An input receiving unit that receives question data from the aforementioned terminal device, A search request unit requests the retrieval of user-specific information based on the aforementioned question data, A generation request unit requests a large-scale language model to generate response data for the question data based on the search results of the user-specific information, An information output unit that outputs response data output from the large-scale language model in response to the aforementioned request to the terminal device, Equipped with, The aforementioned terminal device is The system includes a display control unit that displays the aforementioned question data and the aforementioned answer data in association on a display device. Information processing system.

11. Information processing device, Procedures for detecting updates to user-specific information, A procedure for registering the detected user-specific information, Procedures for receiving input of question data, A procedure for requesting the retrieval of user-specific information based on the aforementioned question data, A procedure for requesting a large-scale language model to generate response data for the question data based on the search results of the user-specific information, A procedure for outputting response data from the aforementioned large-scale language model, An information processing method that performs the following.

12. In an information processing device, Procedures for detecting updates to user-specific information, A procedure for registering the detected user-specific information, Procedures for receiving input of question data, A procedure for requesting the retrieval of user-specific information based on the aforementioned question data, A procedure for requesting a large-scale language model to generate response data for the question data based on the search results of the user-specific information, A procedure for outputting response data from the aforementioned large-scale language model, A program to execute.

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