GENERAL Develops GRANTOWN AI Agent Supporting Local Governments to Manage Telephone Inquiries
Pilot Projects Starting Feb. 2026 in Hachioji, Tokyo, and Atsugi, Kanagawa

GENERAL Inc. today announced that it has developed GRANTOWN. GRANTOWN is an AI voice communication system that makes local government services available 24/7 by having an AI agent^*1handle calls for local governments. GRANTOWN will be available from April 2026. Prior to this, two pilot projects will be carried out at the local governments of Hachioji, Tokyo, and Atsugi, Kanagawa, from February to March 2026^*2. The goal is to determine its value as a service for residents and whether GRANTOWN decreases the number of calls handled by local government employees.

Local governments frequently receive various inquiries regarding taxes, welfare, and procedures. In addition, it is becoming difficult to recruit sufficient numbers of employees due to the declining working population. Amid these circumstances, operations are becoming increasingly diverse and complex, and greater efficiency is required to manage telephone inquiries and coordinate between departments. During disasters, a high volume of calls is received over a short period of time, ranging from life-threatening emergencies to general inquiries. Therefore, it is essential to implement a system to reliably identify which calls to prioritize.

GRANTOWN provides an AI agent to handle calls from residents to local governments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It also transcribes these calls to generate a visual record that is shared within departments, helping to minimize repetition of tasks. The system also allows residents to receive prompt answers to inquiries regarding procedures and daily life issues during hours when telephone services were previously unavailable. The AI agent can provide natural answers to questions ranging from common inquiries to those regarding complex procedures. It can also promptly address time-consuming inquiries that require confirmation or forwarding to other departments, ensuring a fast and stress-free service.

During disasters, the AI agent responds in real time to inquiries related to disasters, including providing information on open evacuation centers. It also detects and prioritizes emergency calls and quickly connects them with disaster management employees. As such, it contributes to creating safe and secure communities by sharing information across relevant departments and speeding up initial response. This system was developed in collaboration with HmcommInc. based on their AI voice recognition and automatic response technology. We signed a collaborative agreement with HmcommInc. on February 3, 2026, looking ahead to future cooperation.

We will expand GRANTOWN to horizontally link local government telephone inquiry systems with firefighting and disaster systems that were previously operated independently. This will strengthen community-wide disaster preparedness and help ensure that local government services are available 24/7. Under our new slogan, Creating a Life Conditioner, and with our advanced technology and unique ideas, we will create social infrastructure that supports sustainable living. We aim to provide peace of mind in everyday life and security during disasters.

Origin behind the name GRANTOWN

The name GRANTOWN is a combination of the French "Grand," meaning magnificent or wonderful, and "Town." The system makes residents' lives more convenient by streamlining local government telephone inquiry services. In addition, we will apply the firefighting and disaster management expertise we gained through GRANCAST*3 with government services. This will enable us to contribute to solving regional issues and create new value.

*3

GRANCAST: A term covering local government emergency broadcast systems, high-performance firefighting command systems and digital radio communication systems for firefighting and emergency response developed by GENERAL.

Main Features of GRANTOWN

1. Streamlining telephone inquiry services at local governments through AI agent responses

The AI agent provides quick and accurate answers to phone calls from residents. AI agents perform real-time speech recognition and can respond by voice, enabling natural and smooth interactions that feel like conversing with a human operator. This reduces the need for staff to handle repetitive inquiries, enabling them to allocate more time to specialized work and face-to-face services.

2. Call transcription enables cross-department information sharing

Call content is automatically transcribed and stored within the system, enabling information sharing among relevant departments as needed. Transcribed records are easy to search and aggregate. The records support response reviews, staff handovers, reduced duplicate work, and informed follow-up decisions.

3. AI agents automatically assess the urgency of phone calls, speeding up initial disaster response

The system includes a triage function *4 that automatically assesses the urgency of inquiries. When calls involving threats to life, housing damage, or disaster impacts are detected, the system immediately forwards them to relevant departments such as crisis management. This increases the speed of initial response and contributes to early recovery after disasters and improved resilience across the community.

4. Available 24/7/365, allowing residents to make inquiries anytime

By using AI agents, the system operates 24/7/365 and can respond quickly to issues occurring at night or on holidays. No special setup, such as installing a dedicated app, is required, and residents can access digital services by calling the local government’s designated phone number as usual.

*4

Triage functions: A function in which AI determines the response priority when disaster-related information is received.

Collaborative Agreement with HmcommInc.

GENERAL concluded a collaborative agreement with HmcommInc., a leading company in AI voice recognition and automated response technology, on February 3, 2026. The agreement aims to enhance operational efficiency and disaster response capabilities in the field of local government. Through this agreement, we will combine HmcommInc.'s AI and voice technology with our disaster management systems and wireless technology. Thereby supporting the digital transformation of local government operations. Together with HmcommInc., we aim to create a new system that supports the safety and security of local communities. In doing so, we will help to build communities that can respond rapidly during disasters.

【HmcommInc.】

Representative：

Koji Mitsumoto, President & CEO

Address：

Fuji Building 2F, Shibadaimon 2-11-1, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0012

Established：

July 24, 2012

Description of business：

Research and development of core technologies based on AI voice processing, and the provision of related solutions and services

URL：

https://hmcom.co.jp/

【Trademarks】

*

GRANTOWN is a trademark of GENERAL Inc.

*

GRANCAST is a registered trademark of GENERAL Inc.