AI-Locals Östersund

Are the people who live somewhere the best guides to what to do there — and to what it is actually like to live and work there? That is the premise behind AI-Locals, a pilot project Destination Östersund built together with us.

An AI that knows the town, not just the world

The foundation is OpenAI's GPT-4o. On top of it we layered knowledge from VisitÖstersund, from local businesses' own websites that we were given permission to draw on, and from information the project owner keeps adding. That lets the model answer what a general chatbot misses: opening hours, which restaurants and shops exist, and what the people of Östersund recommend themselves.

Several local voices rather than one

Visitors choose which AI-Local to talk to. The profiles have distinct interests — art, culture, restaurants, nightlife, second hand and music in one; books, theatre, exhibitions, shopping and coffee in another; and a dedicated profile for anyone considering moving here, with questions about housing, work and schools. The answers land more concretely than a single general assistant would manage, and the tone reads like a friend rather than a search engine.

A knowledge base that grows with residents

The people who live in Östersund have the best tips on what to do in and around the town. So the site carries a form where anyone can submit their own favourite spots and enrich the model. The service is free to use, and the interface is explicit that the AI can get things wrong.