INSS Helô — AI-Enabled Virtual Assistant for Social Security Services
Overview
Brazil's National Social Security Institute (Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social, INSS) operates Helô, an AI-enabled virtual assistant deployed on the Meu INSS (My INSS) digital platform, which serves as the primary digital channel for citizens to access social security services across the country. Developed by Dataprev, Brazil's federal social security data processing company, Helô was launched on 7 May 2020 in direct response to the suspension of in-person INSS services on 20 March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The chatbot was introduced to ensure continuity of service delivery at a time when the INSS was already experiencing reduced personnel capacity, increased demand for services, overloading of its telephone call centre (135 hotline), and the implementation of the 2019 pension reform.
Helô is accessible via both the Meu INSS web portal and the Meu INSS mobile application on Android and iOS devices. Citizens initiate interaction by clicking a chat balloon icon in the lower-right corner of the screen and providing their name and CPF (Cadastro de Pessoas Físicas, the Brazilian individual taxpayer registration number). The system then guides users through structured conversation paths covering a wide range of INSS services and benefits. Core service areas include requesting benefits and services, checking process status, consulting medical examination results, obtaining statements, certificates and declarations, scheduling in-person appointments at INSS agencies, submitting documents, and managing account passwords.
The system was initially implemented using a decision tree architecture with predefined response possibilities for each situation indicated by the user during the interaction. This rule-based approach ensured reliable and consistent responses across the high volume of citizen inquiries. In July 2023, the platform was upgraded to incorporate a more advanced natural language processing (NLP) model, enabling more fluid and personalised conversations that allow citizens to express their queries in natural language rather than navigating through fixed menu options. This evolution from structured decision trees to NLP-based interaction represents a significant technical progression in the system's capabilities. Dataprev has announced plans to further enhance Helô with generative artificial intelligence capabilities.
The scale of Helô's deployment is substantial. On its launch day alone, the system processed 53,595 interactions, and within ten days had handled an additional 191,718 interactions. By May 2021, one year after launch, Helô had surpassed 19 million interactions, averaging approximately 80,000 daily consultations. By October 2020, the system had already reached six million interactions serving approximately three million citizens. By its third anniversary in May 2023, Helô had completed over 66 million interactions, with nine million in 2023 alone across 90 service topics. By 2024, the system had surpassed 100 million interactions in less than four years of operation. Service usage data shows that benefit and service requests constitute the largest share of interactions (approximately 30-35 per cent), followed by statements and certifications (approximately 14 per cent), medical evaluation inquiries (approximately 14 per cent), appointment scheduling (approximately 11 per cent), and password support (approximately 10 per cent).
Helô operates within a hybrid service model that combines automated AI-driven responses with humanised chat support provided by INSS staff. Servers across Brazil manage both Helô's automated operations and the humanised chat component, which requires staff with knowledge of INSS legislation and services. This hybrid approach ensures that more complex citizen inquiries that exceed the chatbot's capabilities are escalated to human operators who can provide fuller responses. The system is being progressively extended to incorporate more sophisticated human-AI collaboration.
Dataprev operates a dedicated AI Centre of Excellence located in João Pessoa, Paraíba, as one of five strategic technology hubs across Brazil. Over 700 developers across these centres support the applications used by citizens daily. In addition to Helô, Dataprev has implemented AI-enabled facial recognition technology within Meu INSS for biometric life verification (prova de vida) of benefit recipients, demonstrating the broader AI integration strategy within Brazil's social security infrastructure.
Helô has received international recognition, winning the 2020 International Social Security Association (ISSA) Best Practices Award for the Americas (ISSA Good Practice gp/198036). The ISSA has highlighted Helô as an example of how social security institutions can leverage chatbot technology to improve citizen service delivery, particularly during crises. The system's accessibility design prioritises simple language free of technical jargon to serve users across all education levels. Planned enhancements include direct document issuance via chat and accessibility improvements such as high contrast mode.
Brazil's broader Meu INSS digital transformation programme has also been recognised by ISSA as a success story in the digital transformation policy of the Brazilian State (ISSA Good Practice gp/198205), providing the institutional and technical foundation upon which Helô operates.
Classification
AI Capabilities
Use Cases
Social Protection Functions
| SP Pillar (Primary) | Social insurance |
Programme Details
| Programme Name | Meu INSS (My INSS) Digital Platform — Helô Virtual Assistant |
| Programme Type | Other |
| System Level | Implementation/delivery chain |
| Automation Subtype | (a) Document processing and generative staff assistance |
Unified digital service channel operated by INSS (Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social) for citizen access to social security services including pension inquiries, benefit requests, medical examination scheduling, document submission, and proof of life. Over 100 million interactions processed in less than four years. Accessible via web portal and mobile application.
Implementation Details
| Implementation Type | Hybrid |
| Lifecycle Stage | Monitoring, Maintenance and Decommissioning |
| Model Provenance | Developed in-house |
| Compute Environment | Not documented |
| Sovereignty Quadrant | Not assessed |
| Data Residency | Not documented |
| Cross-Border Transfer | Not documented |
| Hybrid Components | Decision tree / rule-based architecture (2020-2023) upgraded to NLP-based natural language processing model (July 2023). Generative AI integration planned. |
Agentic AI
| Is Agentic | Partial |
| Pipeline | Helô autonomously handles the majority of citizen inquiries through structured conversation flows and NLP-based responses covering 90 service topics. Complex queries beyond the chatbot's capability are escalated to human INSS staff via the humanised chat component. |
| Autonomy | Semi-autonomous |
| Override Points | Human operators handle queries the chatbot cannot address via humanised chat support. INSS staff across Brazil manage escalated interactions requiring knowledge of legislation and services. |
Risk & Oversight
| Decision Criticality | Low |
| Human Oversight | HITL |
| Development Process | Fully in-house |
| Highest Risk Category | Operational and system integration risks |
| Risk Assessment Status | Not assessed |
Risk Dimensions
Data-related risks
Governance and institutional oversight risks
Model-related risks
Operational and system integration risks
Impact Dimensions
Autonomy, human dignity and due process
Equality, non-discrimination, fairness and inclusion
Systemic and societal
Safeguards
Deployment & Outcomes
| Deployment Status | Full Production Deployment |
| Year Initiated | 2020 |
| Scale / Coverage | National coverage across Brazil (population ~214 million). Over 100 million interactions in less than four years. Approximately 80,000 daily consultations (2021 average). 66 million cumulative interactions by May 2023. Nine million interactions in 2023 alone. |
| Funding Source | Government of Brazil (Dataprev / INSS budget) |
| Technical Partners | Dataprev (Empresa de Tecnologia e Informações da Previdência Social) — AI Centre of Excellence, João Pessoa, Paraíba |
Outcomes / Results
Over 100 million interactions processed in less than four years. 53,595 interactions on launch day. 19 million interactions in first year. 66 million cumulative interactions by May 2023. Approximately 80,000 daily consultations. Winner of 2020 ISSA Best Practices Award for the Americas. Enabled continuity of social security services during COVID-19 pandemic when in-person services were suspended.
Challenges
Initial decision tree architecture limited to predefined response paths, requiring upgrade to NLP in July 2023. Hybrid model requires INSS staff with specialised legislative knowledge to handle escalated queries. Generative AI integration still in planning phase. Specific NLP model architecture and training data details are not publicly documented. Reports have emerged of broader AI-enabled features in the Meu INSS app wrongly rejecting benefit claims, though this relates to separate AI components rather than the Helô chatbot specifically.
Sources
- SRC-002-BRA-001 Dataprev (2020) 'Chatbot Helô, do Meu INSS, já fez seis milhões de atendimentos', dataprev.gov.br.
https://www.dataprev.gov.br/chatbot-helo-do-meu-inss-ja-fez-seis-milhoes-de-atendimentos - SRC-001-BRA-001 Dataprev (2020) 'Conheça Helô, a atendente virtual que a Dataprev desenvolveu para o INSS', dataprev.gov.br.
https://www.dataprev.gov.br/conheca-helo-atendente-virtual-que-dataprev-desenvolveu-para-o-inss - SRC-003-BRA-001 Dataprev (2021) 'Helô completa 1 ano com mais de 19 milhões de atendimentos no Meu INSS', portal3.dataprev.gov.br.
https://portal3.dataprev.gov.br/helo-completa-1-ano-com-mais-de-19-milhoes-de-atendimentos-no-meu-inss - SRC-007-BRA-001 Dataprev (n.d.) 'Dataprev investe em IA, que está em serviços como a Helô, do Meu INSS', portal3.dataprev.gov.br.
https://portal3.dataprev.gov.br/dataprev-investe-em-ia-que-esta-em-servicos-como-helo-do-meu-inss - SRC-004-BRA-001 INSS (2023) 'Helô, assistente virtual do INSS completa três anos', gov.br/inss.
https://www.gov.br/inss/pt-br/noticias/helo-assistente-virtual-do-inss-completa-tres-anos - SRC-005-BRA-001 INSS (2024) 'Helô comemora 100 milhões de acessos em menos de 4 anos', gov.br/inss.
https://www.gov.br/inss/pt-br/noticias/helo-comemora-100-milhoes-de-acessos-em-4-anos - SRC-006-BRA-001 ISSA (n.d.) 'Helô, the National Social Security Institute's virtual assistant', issa.int, Good Practice gp/198036.
https://www.issa.int/gp/198036
How to Cite
DCI AI Hub (2026). 'INSS Helô — AI-Enabled Virtual Assistant for Social Security Services', AI Hub AI Tracker, case BRA-001. Digital Convergence Initiative. Available at: https://socialprotectionai.org/use-case/BRA-001