A “Chatbot” is a type of software designed to simulate human conversation. They can interact with humans in a natural, human-like way, usually through text-based communication but sometimes also using spoken language. Chatbots are often used for customer service, providing information, or any other situation where a human-like interaction is desired.
At their simplest, chatbots can operate based on predefined rules and respond to specific commands. For instance, a weather chatbot might respond to the command “What’s the weather like?” by providing the current weather conditions.
However, more advanced chatbots, like those powered by artificial intelligence (AI), don’t just respond to specific commands. They use technologies like natural language processing (NLP) to understand and respond to a wide variety of inputs. For example, an AI chatbot could understand the question “What’s the weather like?” even if it’s phrased differently, like “Tell me about the weather” or “Is it going to rain today?”
Some AI chatbots even use machine learning to improve over time. They learn from their interactions with humans, getting better at understanding and responding to a wide variety of inputs.
However, it’s important to remember that while chatbots can simulate human conversation, they don’t truly understand the conversation in the way humans do. They’re simply processing the input they receive and generating responses based on their programming and training.
« Back to Glossary Index