ReganByte's AI Chatbot for Charities: Dwayne at VIA AGM Highlights
- David O'Regan
- Mar 19
- 2 min read
In November 2024, we had the absolute pleasure of presenting Dwayne, one of our AI chatbot for charities, at the Vasculitis Ireland Awareness (VIA) AGM. After months of discovery, design, development, and deployment, it was finally time to introduce Dwayne to the community he was built to help. And what a moment it was.
The presentation was a live demo, where David asked Dwayne real patient questions in front of attendees. Dwayne responded clearly and conversationally, with the friendly tone we worked so hard to get right. The room was buzzing with excitement and surprise.
One comment that really stayed with us came from a family member who said, "It is amazing to have a safe, reliable place to ask questions I might not have wanted to ask during a short appointment. Sometimes you feel like you are taking up time, but Dwayne is here for those questions any time."
We also heard wonderful feedback about Dwayne’s multilingual support. The idea that patients and families could interact in over 50 different languages really struck a chord. One attendee told us how empowering it felt to chat in their native language without needing to scroll through complicated medical websites.
And there was one moment that really brought home why this matters. When we showed Dwayne’s speech capabilities, allowing people to ask questions by voice and hear responses out loud, someone said quietly, "That will make such a difference for me. Typing is hard when I am in a flare." That single comment reminded us exactly why we do what we do.
As for what comes next for Dwayne, we have plenty of plans in motion. We are not quite ready to share them yet, but exciting things are coming.
We are so proud to have been part of this project from discovery through to deployment, working closely with VIA at every stage. Bringing Dwayne to life has shown us what is possible when technology is built with empathy and purpose.
If you are a charity or healthcare organisation wondering whether AI can help your community, we hope this gives you a glimpse of what is possible. Sometimes, the future really is friendlier and more accessible than you might think.
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