AI chatbot ‘Veena’ answers over 30K queries since June 17

Kolkata: Veena, the AI-powered chatbot introduced for the first time on Bengal’s centralised undergraduate admission portal (WBCAP), has answered over 30,000 queries from more than 11,000 users in just 12 days since its launch on June 17, according to data shared by the Higher Education department.

Named after the musical instrument associated with Goddess Saraswati, Veena has emerged as a vital digital assistant for students during the ongoing 2025-26 admission cycle. The multilingual chatbot is assisting applicants with college and course selection, registration, eligibility criteria, document requirements and related queries.

On launch day alone, Veena handled 2,096 queries from 724 users, registering a quality score of 84 per cent. The numbers surged on day 2, with 5,844 questions answered from 2,219 users, a 178.8 per cent rise in query volume and a 206.5 per cent jump in user engagement. By day 4, its response accuracy had improved to 99.2 per cent and officials say it is now nearing 100 per cent.

As of June 28, the chatbot had managed 30,698 queries from 11,398 unique users, averaging 2,558 interactions daily and 2.69 queries per user. Notably, 92.25 per cent of responses were deemed helpful, while 7.75 per cent received “no information available” replies.

Despite supporting English, Bengali and Hindi, 83.6 per cent of users interacted in English, with 16.5 per cent opting for Bengali. The system also recognises mixed-format inputs, such as Bengali typed in Roman script and responds appropriately.

“The chatbot has significantly reduced the burden on our tele-helpline by offering instant responses and keeping call waiting times minimal,” said a senior department official. The most common queries included admission-related questions (6,471), login and registration issues (3,413), eligibility criteria (1,251), document uploads (1,198), technical glitches (738) and fee structure details (323). Other queries ranged from registration assistance to course availability and admission dates. Officials noted that Veena’s performance has progressed beyond delivering factual information. “Response quality has improved through its self-learning process. When a question is framed in various ways, Veena is able to understand and reply appropriately,” the official added. A spike in reservation-related queries followed the department’s notice that category details are not currently being collected due to ongoing legal proceedings on OBC reservations.

Students who have submitted such details may be required to resubmit them later. Veena responded to these queries with: “At this moment, I don’t have any information available with me.” Officials clarified the chatbot has not been programmed to answer on the matter, as it is currently sub judice.