Chatbot

Parts of this article (those related to everything, particularly sections after the intro) need to be updated. The reason given is: this article is using citations from 1970 and virtually all claims about conversational capabilities are at least ten years out of date (for example the Turing test was arguably made obsolete years ago by transformer models). Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (February 2023)

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A chatbot (originally chatterbot^[1]) is a software application or web interface that aims to mimic human conversation through text or voice interactions.^[2][3] Modern chatbots are typically online and use artificial intelligence (AI) systems that are capable of maintaining a conversation with a user in natural language and simulating the way a human would behave as a conversational partner. Such technologies often utilize aspects of deep learning and natural language processing, but more simplistic chatbots have been around for decades prior.

Recently, this field has gained widespread attention due to the popularity of OpenAI's ChatGPT (using GPT-3 or GPT-4),^[4] released in 2022, followed by alternatives such as Microsoft's Bing Chat (which uses OpenAI's GPT-4) and Google's Bard.^[5] Such examples reflect the recent practice of such products being built based upon broad foundational large language models that get fine-tuned so as to target specific tasks or applications (i.e. simulating human conversation, in the case of chatbots). Chatbots can also be designed or customized to further target even more specific situations and/or particular subject-matter domains.^[6]

A major area where chatbots have long been used is in customer service and support, such as with various sorts of virtual assistants.^[7] Companies spanning various industries have begun using the latest generative artificial intelligence technologies to power more advanced developments in such areas.^[6]