What is a chatbot?

A chatbot is a computer program that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) to simulate human interaction, to understand customer questions and automate their responses.

The value of chatbots

Chatbots can make it easier for users to find the information they need by answering their questions and requests — via text input, audio input, or both — without the need for human intervention.

Chatbot Agency technology is almost everywhere these days, from smart speakers in the home to messaging applications in the workplace. The latest AI chatbots are often called "virtual assistants" or "virtual agents." They can use audio input, such as Apple's Siri, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, or communicate with you via SMS text messaging. Either way, you're able to ask questions about what you need in a conversational way, and the chatbot can help refine your search through answers and follow-up questions.

How chatbots work

Historically, chatbots were text-based and programmed to answer a limited set of simple questions with answers that were pre-written by the chatbot's developers. They functioned like an interactive FAQ, and while they worked well for the specific questions and answers they were trained on, they failed when presenting a complex question or one that the developers didn't understand. was not predicted by

Over time, chatbots have integrated more rules and natural language processing, so end users can experience them in a conversational way. In fact, the latest breed of chatbots are contextually aware and able to learn as they are exposed to more and more human language.

Today's AI chatbots use natural language understanding (NLU) to understand the user's need. They then use advanced AI tools to determine what the user is trying to accomplish. These technologies rely on machine learning and deep learning – elements of AI, with some subtle differences – to develop an increasingly granular knowledge base of questions and answers that are based on user interaction. This improves their ability to accurately anticipate user needs and respond appropriately over time.

For example, if a user asks about tomorrow's weather, a traditional chatbot can clearly answer whether it will rain. An AI chatbot, however, can also ask if the user wants to set an alarm earlier to adjust for a long morning commute (due to rain).

Chatbots vs AI Chatbots vs Virtual Agents

You may find the terms chatbot, AI chatbot, and virtual agent used interchangeably at times. And it's true that some chatbots are now using complex algorithms to provide more detailed answers.

However, it is worth noting that the deep learning capabilities of AI chatbots enable interactions to become more precise over time, creating a web of appropriate responses through their interactions with humans. The longer an AI chatbot is operational, the stronger its responses become. So an AI chatbot using deep learning can provide a more detailed and accurate answer to a query, and especially the intentions behind the query, than a Chatbot Agency with recently integrated algorithm-based knowledge.