GPT-BJ — Benin's Sovereign AI Legal-Information Chatbot for Citizens and Businesses

In May 2023, Benin's Agence des Systèmes d'Information et du Numérique (ASIN) unveiled GPT-BJ at the SENIA digital-entrepreneurship and AI trade fair in Cotonou, in partnership with the tech firm Isheero. Positioned explicitly as a sovereign alternative to ChatGPT — whose access has at times been restricted in parts of Africa — GPT-BJ is a conversational AI trained specifically on Benin's General Tax Code, Digital Code, Labour Code and Penal Code, reformulating legal and administrative text into everyday language for citizens, entrepreneurs and investors.

ASIN has been transparent that the tool, still labelled 'Alpha 0.1', is trained on only partial available data and is deliberately designed to decline certain queries rather than risk an incomplete or biased answer.

In May 2024, GPT-BJ won the Innovation category at the inaugural African CIO Awards, held during GITEX Africa in Marrakech, selected among roughly 40 competing African digital-government submissions (8 winners were named across all categories), with ASIN's Information Systems and Digitalisation Director Aristide Adjinacou describing it as 'our means of supporting each citizen, entrepreneur and investor daily.'

No usage figures, satisfaction data, or independent evaluation of GPT-BJ's accuracy or impact have been published since its 2023 launch. Benin adopted a national AI strategy in January 2023 and ranks among Africa's stronger performers on AI-readiness indices, but GPT-BJ itself remains, on the public record, a recognised pilot still at an early software version rather than a proven, evaluated service.