Google LLC’s cloud unit has partnered with the state of Rhode Island to host a new career portal that will provide residents seeking employment with access to job openings and related resources. 

The portal will also include an artificial intelligence chatbot designed to help users find the openings that are most well-aligned with their skills.

Google is hailing the project as the first of its kind in the U.S. “We want to congratulate Rhode Island on being the first state in the U.S. to use AI and ML to deploy a job search platform on this level,” said Google Cloud Chief Executive Officer Thomas Kurian.

The Virtual Career Center’s core job search capability is powered by a pair of Google Cloud services known as Job Search API and Cloud Talent API. They provide features that enable job seekers to filter job listings and recruiters to manage their postings. The Virtual Career Center’s backend will also rely on a mix of other Google Cloud products including, among others, the search giant’s managed SQL database service.

In addition to enabling Rhode Islanders to look for open positions, the portal will include a video conferencing feature powered by Meet that will allow users to connect with career coaches and recruiters.

Rhode Island officials are also working with a nonprofit group called Research Improving People’s Lives to build an AI-powered chatbot for the Virtual Career Center. The chatbot, Google said, will use machine learning to identify job openings that are likely to be relevant for a given application, then deliver career recommendations based on this information to jobseekers and employers.

The planned features will roll out in phases. Today, as part of the initial release, Rhode Island is launching a website landing page with a “preliminary chatbot” dubbed Skipper that residents can use to find openings, as well as other resources such as training opportunities. The full versions of the Virtual Career Center and its integrated chatbot are expected to roll out in late November. 

The portal is being developed as part of a broader program called Back to Work RI that Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo launched earlier this year. “Through this public-private partnership with Google Cloud and RIPL, Rhode Island is leading the way in using technology to connect our workforce with pathways to great jobs,” Raimondo said in a statement.

Job Search API and Cloud Talent API, the services powering the portal’s job search function, are just two of a growing number of vertical-specific AI solutions Google offers on its cloud to differentiate it from rivals. Those targeted AI solutions are also helping it win customers in other segments.

Google Cloud has a service called Procurement DocAI that can automatically extract data from financial documents. On Monday, the search giant said that Belgian financial technology firm Unifiedpost Group will be adopting Procurement DocAI to help it process nearly 350 million invoices and other procurement-related documents annually across 15 European countries. 

Image: Google