Nayan Patel ’28 Develops AI App to Help Immigrants Navigate a Complex System

Nayan Patel—an RL junior and naturalized citizen who came to the U.S. from India as a child—was recently featured in the Weston Observer for his work developing Immigration GPT, an AI chatbot that draws on the knowledge of immigration professionals to help individuals navigate a complex immigration system. The app offers vetted information on topics like employment and adjusting to American life. The project grew out of Nayan’s volunteer work with groups including the Right to Immigration Institute and the Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Coalition; there he saw immigrants hesitate to ask basic questions that might take time away from staff handling their cases, or who felt embarrassed asking them at all. To prevent the chatbot from generating inaccurate information, Nayan built a fact-checked database that the AI is restricted to drawing from, which he personally reviews and updates every week.

Immigration experts who’ve worked with Patel, including Mike Oliver of St. Mark Community Education Program in Dorchester, have praised his seriousness and dedication, emphasizing that accuracy and up-to-date information are essential in immigration guidance. The chatbot also incorporates practical knowledge Nayan gained through his volunteer work, such as pointing users toward food pantries, which don’t check immigration status, rather than food stamps, which have stricter eligibility rules. To protect user privacy, most data stays local to a user’s browser, with each person assigned an anonymous token.

Read the Weston Observer article to learn more about Nayan’s Immigration GPT app, and the story behind it.