Chatbox ‘Hızır’ to serve Turkish expats globally

ANKARA 

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has established a chatbox named “Hızır” (‘Khidr’ in English), using artificial technology to serve Turkish expats living abroad 24/7.

Turkish media outlets resembled “Hızır,” with Apple Inc.’s virtual assistant “Siri.”

“Turkish expats will be able to engage in dialogue with ‘Hızır’ any time of the day or night and get information on anything they want,” daily Milliyet reported on May 23.

The existence of “Hızır” came to life when Yavuz Selim Kıran, the deputy foreign minister, made a presentation about it to the parliamentary subcommittee “Turks Abroad.”

The system will start at one of the ministry’s official websites, “konsolosluk.gov.tr.”

When asked about the start time, Kıran said, “In the upcoming days.”

The chatbox is named after “Hızır,” who is described as a messenger or prophet in various Islamic and non-Islamic traditions. He is believed to “guard the sea, teach secret knowledge and aid those in distress.”