An Assistant is a role‑specific AI helper you create in GovAI. It combines a clear role and behaviour instructions with a chosen set of capabilities, and allows it to access and use the Folios linked. Think of an Assistant as a role you assign to the AI so it answers in the way your team needs. It provides consistent, role‑based answers for teams (HR, Finance, IT, Permits, etc.), reduces ad‑hoc prompting, and ensures answers are grounded in approved sources.
Note: Not all users will have access to create or manage multiple Assistants. The roles are determined by your organization’s Admin.
When to create an Assistant
Departmental help: HR policy, finance thresholds
Frequently repeated operational tasks: inspection checklists, permit steps.
Internal enablement: onboarding, Q&A.
Advanced uses: data analysis, document summarization.
How to create an Assistant (step‑by‑step)
Go to the GovAI dashboard → click Content and then select Assistants
2. Click on the + Create an Assistant button.
3. Add a name and short description (e.g., HR Assistant - Policies & Benefits). Fill the Instructions field with the Assistant’s role, tone, scope, and standard disclaimers.
Tip: use the Assistant Instructions Builder to generate a starting set of instructions and paste them into Instructions.
4. Select model & default reasoning/timing settings (leave defaults if unsure; tune later). Please reference the Assistant Models Table below.
5. Configure capabilities (e.g., enable File Search; disable Web if you want answers only from your documents).
6. Click on the Create Assistant button to complete this initial set-up.
7. Link relevant Folio(s) - these are the Assistant’s permitted knowledge sources.
8. Set Assistant access (who can view/use it; who can edit).
9. Now you’re all set to test it with 1–3 real prompts (check that answers cite the expected Folio sources and that outputs meet policy/quality standards).
Assistant Models Table:
Model | What it is (simple) | Best for at GovAI |
GPT-5 | Our most capable model; handles complex, multi-step work with excellent reasoning and clear writing. | Strategic plans, complex policy briefs, cross-department research, high-stakes communications, detailed legal/technical drafts. |
GPT-5-mini | A practical GPT-5 variant for everyday organizational writing. | Multi-section reports, nuanced internal analyses, longer executive summaries. |
GPT-5-nano | A streamlined GPT-5 family model for high-volume, short outputs. | Bulk summarization, metadata extraction, automated tagging and classification. |
gpt-4.1 | A reliable, high-skill 4-series model that explains steps clearly. | Policy drafts, guidance notes, technical explanations, situations where consistent, proven behavior is preferred. |
gpt-4o | An optimized 4-series model for quick, interactive tasks. | FAQs, chat-style assistant interactions. |
gpt-4o-mini | A lightweight version of gpt-4o for short tasks. | Short summaries, quick email drafts, high-volume internal notes. |
o3 | A compact model for simple, structured tasks. | UI helpers, small automations, rapid formatting. |
Community Assistants
Community Assistants are ready-made Assistants created and maintained by GovAI for common government tasks. They give you a fast, reliable starting point so teams don’t have to build everything from scratch. When GovAI staff update an Assistant, the improvements are automatically pushed to all users.
Available Community Assistants
Assistant Instructions Builder
Helps local government staff create clear, complete system instructions for building other custom AI Assistants. It asks questions to clarify goals and context, and then, it produces a final, well-structured set of system instructions.Document Summarizer
A conversational Assistant that reads documents and pulls out the key points, so you get useful summaries.Data Analysis Assistant
An Assistant that works with data and spreadsheets to help analyze results, spot trends, and create simple summaries or charts.
How to install a Community Assistant
Open the GovAI dashboard and go to
Content → Assistants → Install an Assistantbutton.
2. Click Install on the Assistant you want.
3. The Assistant is now available for you to use. Click on the current assistant to change your selection:
Assistant Instructions Builder
The Assistant Instructions Builder is designed to help you craft clear, effective, and customized instructions for your own assistant. You can begin by providing a general prompt that describes what you want your custom assistant to do, and this tool will generate a recommended set of instructions tailored to your goals.
As you interact with it, the builder will ask clarifying questions to better understand your objectives and refine the instructions accordingly. This ensures the final result is aligned with your intended use case and reflects the tone, expertise level, and boundaries you need.
See example below:
Once you’ve answered all the questions, the Assistant Instructions Builder will generate a complete set of instructions for you. You can then copy and paste them directly into your custom assistant setup.
See the steps in the video below:
Quick mental model
Folio = what the AI can know.
Assistant = how the AI should behave + which Folios it may use.