“Laurel” is the City of Menlo Park’s new virtual assistant

Laurel, a new virtual assistant, is now available on the City of Menlo Park’s website at menlopark.gov. It is designed to help community members easily find information about city services, resources, events, meetings and more.

Laurel’s name is rooted in Menlo Park, drawing inspiration from a native tree and Laurel Street, home to City Hall at 701 Laurel St.

Community members can access Laurel’s web chat directly from Menlo Park’s website, accessible from any device, by clicking the chat icon in the bottom right corner of their screen. From there, an AI assistant can help navigate City resources — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in 70+ languages.

Laurel is powered by Citibot, an AI-powered communication solutions for local governments.

The Almanac tested Laurel with mixed results.