The energy provider enercity (formerly Stadtwerke Hannover AG) is offering its customers self-service using ChatGPT. They can use the chatbot to submit meter readings and manage their contracts. A pilot operation is already underway.
Unlike many previous AI-supported customer service applications, the energy provider has not built its own AI for this purpose but has opted for a different approach together with its digital subsidiary LYNQTECH: Enercity programmed a Model-Context-Protocol interface. This is a common technique to give large language models (LLMs) access to applications, websites, or data. Via these interfaces, the energy provider’s customers can now query data about their contracts with the service provider in OpenAI’s ChatGPT and, for example, report meter readings.
During the test phase, registration via email with customer service is required for GPT use – after that, customers should install the corresponding plug-in in ChatGPT and, after a one-time login in the AI app, be able to query their customer data.
The energy provider sees early adopters and people for whom an app is too high a hurdle but who are familiar with LLMs as potential target groups. There are many such people in their private environment, the developers explained in a phone call with heise online.
Convenience vs. Data Protection and Correctness
Technically, the whole thing works by the AI being able to query data about its contracts from the enercity servers after linking its GPT account with the enercity account via the MCP server. According to its statement, the energy provider has tried to release as little data as possible. Addresses and full names of customers are not supposed to be transferred, for example. However, data that is actively queried or uploaded in ChatGPT naturally runs through OpenAI’s servers once and can be processed there. And energy usage habits can reveal a lot about a person’s life situation and attitude. Those who have a paid OpenAI account can at least disable AI training with their data.
The developers claim to have tried to minimize the risk of ChatGPT hallucinating in its response to the customer. It cannot be completely ruled out that ChatGPT invents or incorrectly reports meter readings, contracts, or similar information in its response.
Perspective for other language models
In the long term, this function is also to be made available for other language models, according to the energy provider. The MCP interface can in principle be used by all LLMs. Apple recently integrated an MCP server directly into Safari; this shows how widely the protocol is catching on.
Enercity wants to evaluate how customers accept the offer in a few weeks. Currently, there are no plans to switch off conventional customer contact options in favor of ChatGPT, say the developers.
(rie)
