Germany’s Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit — BA) launched pilot operations on September 22, 2026, for an AI-powered telephone voice assistant named “Klara.” The new system is designed to reduce hotline waiting times and accelerate initial inquiry processing for employment office clients.
BA service centers receive approximately 18 million calls annually. Implementing voice automation aims to relieve call center operators from repetitive intake duties and provide rapid baseline information to citizens.
- What happened: The Federal Employment Agency began nationwide pilot testing of the AI telephone system “Klara” for incoming citizen calls.
- Functionality: Records caller intent, customer ID (Kundennummer), and postal code (PLZ); in four federal states, answers select standard queries, including general details about unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld).
- Who is affected: All clients and jobseekers calling German employment agency service hotlines.
Operating Mechanics and Pilot Regions
The rollout of “Klara” is structured in several phases:
- Nationwide baseline tier: Starting September 22, the assistant greets callers across Germany, provides mandatory data protection information, and records the subject of inquiry, customer number (Kundennummer), and postal code (Postleitzahl).
- Pilot states with extended dialogue: In Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland, the voice assistant autonomously answers select routine questions, such as providing general guidance on unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld).
- Routing to human specialists: If a query is complex or necessitates individual case consultation, the system seamlessly transfers the caller to a service center staff member. Callers do not need to repeat their details or request topic—“Klara” transfers captured data directly to the agent’s screen.
Subsequent expansion stages will introduce personalized information directly retrieved from the electronic customer record (elektronische Kundenakte).
“Human-Friendly Automation” and Data Privacy
BA Chief Information Officer (CIO) Stefan Latuski underscored that the agency’s digital transformation centers on supporting rather than replacing staff:
“Artificial intelligence must not and will not replace personal contact. Its purpose is to deliberately unburden our personnel from repetitive administrative tasks. Utilizing conversational voice systems enables noticeably faster response times for clients.”
The agency emphasizes that all legally binding decisions regarding applications and benefit disbursements continue to be made exclusively by regular Federal Employment Agency personnel.
According to BA, data transmission occurs via encrypted interfaces complying with strict IT security standards, and client data processing fully complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (DSGVO / GDPR). The agency uses a German-hosted solution for “Klara” that meets all GDPR requirements.
Comprehensive details on the functionality of the voice assistant, the catalog of pilot services, and FAQs are available on the agency’s official portal under arbeitsagentur.de/ki-sprachassistenz.