This post is part of Global Voices’ April 2026 Spotlight series, “Human perspectives on AI.” This series will offer insight into how AI is being used in global majority countries, how its use and implementation are affecting individual communities, what this AI experiment might mean for future generations, and more. You can support this coverage by donating here.

Language and bureaucracy are the two biggest challenges for migrants arriving in Italy. The most common experience for a migrant is to stand in a waiting line, looking for information, desperate to complete papers and fill out forms — all necessities for being recognized as an asylum seeker or obtaining a residence permit. The country’s main language is Italian, while many have a basic level of English and sometimes some French or Spanish. There are more people in need than operators at migrant reception centers, and from this, an idea arose: an AI chatbot that gives step-by-step instructions and information to migrants. Creators imagined this could help ease the load for operators, too, by creating direct lines for specific needs, so people are not just asking for help at the wrong offices.

That idea became reality in July 2025 with the official launch of Sportellino (literally “little help desk”), an innovative multilingual chatbot available via WhatsApp or Telegram, free of charge and working alongside migrant centers and operators.

Global Voices spoke with Rebecca di Matteo, Head of Operations at Sportellino, a nonprofit, about the project and the challenges they’ve faced in helping migrants.

Global Voices (GV): What is Sportellino, and how has your chatbot helped migrants in their daily lives?

Rebecca Di Matteo (RDM): Sportellino was created within the Master’s program in Migration and Development at Sapienza University of Rome, responding to a very specific need: to simplify access to information that, for many migrants, is not immediate in their daily lives. This includes bureaucratic procedures, documents, healthcare services, guidance on rights, and administrative procedures that are often complex, fragmented, and difficult to understand, even for those with a good command of Italian. In this sense, the chatbot helps reduce confusion, misinformation, and feelings of frustration by offering clear, verified, and multilingual answers, accessible directly through messaging tools already in use every day, such as WhatsApp and Telegram.

The service is free, anonymous, and available 24/7, and is based on a knowledge base built from official sources and information validated by industry professionals. To date, Sportellino is particularly effective in assisting users with practical issues related to daily life and access to rights, such as residence permits, civil registry registration, health insurance cards, choosing a GP [general practicioner], SPID (Public Digital Identity System), employment, school, and other public services. At the same time, the project is constantly evolving, and we are working to further improve our ability to respond to broader and more complex questions.

Language and access

Image from Sportellino's official website. Used with permission.

The chatbot is currently available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Farsi, Pashto, Ukrainian, and other languages. According to Roma Capitale Magazine, the numbers speak for themselves: since the chatbot’s launch in July 2025, it has reached approximately 10,000 users (as of March 2026), with a peak of 2,189 new users in October 2025 alone.

Accessibility is easy: just scan the QR code, and a chat opens directly on WhatsApp or Telegram. It doesn’t ask for registration or personal data — use is completely anonymous, in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — and it’s ad-free. Sportellino does not collect any other personal information and never asks for sensitive data. They consciously chose to base this chatbot on an LLM developed by Mistral, a European company that adheres to some of the highest privacy standards in the industry. Furthermore, their server is located in Frankfurt, within the European Union, and all data is processed in full compliance with the GDPR.

GV: As Global Voices usually reports on people whose voices and experiences are rarely seen in mainstream media, can you share some firsthand examples?

RDM:A concrete and particularly representative case: a Nigerian man used the Sportellino chatbot to better understand the situation of labor exploitation he was experiencing, orient himself regarding his rights, and understand what forms of protection were available to him. Subsequently, thanks to the information received, he contacted us, the Sportellino operators, directly by email. From there, we were able to guide him to a local protection network capable of offering him concrete support.

The people behind the project recalled the direct impact seen by a group of migrants immediately:

When we presented the prototype in a house shared by asylum seekers in the Esquilino neighborhood of Rome, seeing people's enthusiasm and surprise as they tested the trial version for the first time was truly moving. In particular, many were impressed by the fact that Sportellino could respond in Arabic, explaining in simple terms how to prepare for important appointments and where to find free support in their area. It was a moment that made us understand, in a very concrete way, the potential of such a tool.

Their team is made up of people from Italy, Morocco, Ukraine, Germany, Argentina, and Senegal. They have built a knowledge base using official regulations, enriching it with practical information gathered from cultural mediators, social workers, and professionals specialized in asylum seekers. The app also informs users about average wait times, required documents, and useful addresses, helping users better prepare for appointments. In this case, AI complements, not replaces, human support. This chatbot can be a powerful force for promoting rights, inclusion, and respect.

GV: Talking about Italy, have you ever been contacted by the government to implement Sportellino in official projects?

RDM: We are not currently in direct contact with the government, but we are initiating collaborations with various local organizations, including Italian municipalities, departments, Immigration Help Desks, Anti-Violence Centers (CAVs), startups, associations, local institutions, Sapienza University of Rome, and third-sector organizations committed to facilitating access to rights and services every day.

GV: So, for the foreseeable future, will your AI chatbot replace humans or not?

RDM: We envision a model in which Sportellino can cover a significant portion of FAQs from foreigners, such as the most recurring and informative ones, while another portion continues to be addressed by physical help desks and operators, who perform invaluable work in the community.

In this sense, Sportellino does not replace physical help desks but can become a complementary tool: it helps lighten the burden of simpler and more repetitive requests, allowing operators to devote more time, attention, and care to more complex cases, which require personalized, in-depth human intervention.

Another AI chatbot has been launched by the Italian government

The Italian Ministry of Labor and Social Policies launched its own chatbot designed for the Migrant Integration Portal on March 5, 2026. The PIM chatbot is a virtual assistant based on generative AI that speaks six languages (Italian, French, English, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese).

GV: What do you think about the Ministry of Labor introducing a similar chatbot?

RDM: We are aware of the introduction of similar digital tools by institutions, and we consider this, overall, a positive sign: it means that the issues of access to information and digital inclusion are becoming increasingly central.

At the same time, we believe there is an important difference: Sportellino was born from a bottom-up approach, built on the real needs of migrants and with the direct involvement of operators, legal experts, and local communities. This allows us to focus not only on information but also on understanding and support. Furthermore, from what we have observed, the institutional tools available today often have a more specialized and limited function, generally focused on ministerial services, information, and the procedures of a single institution, ministry, or entity. Therefore, while useful, they do not always offer immediate, direct interaction that spans people’s concrete needs in their daily lives.

We see Sportellino above all as a first point of access. A person newly arrived in Italy can orient themselves directly via WhatsApp, understand what steps they need to take, and what mistakes they should avoid. Once they have scheduled an appointment with an agency or ministry, they can then receive more detailed guidance through a specialized system on the services of that specific agency.