Chatbots: the present and future of artificial intelligence

10 min read
Chatbots: the present and future of artificial intelligence
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The modern world is inconceivable without Internet technologies, which are constantly evolving. What seemed like a fantasy yesterday is becoming a reality today.

New artificial intelligence systems are developing especially rapidly. The virtual interlocutor ceases to be a living person, powerful programs come to replace him. Their function is not only to entertain, but also to be a reliable assistant in everyday work. These are chat bots – the most progressive and promising technology in the world of the Internet.

What are chatbots?

Chatbots are virtual interlocutors, programs imitating a real person. The work is based on an artificial intelligence algorithm. Interaction usually takes place via Internet chat.

The most common are electronic managers who advise the user when visiting the site. However, the functions of chatbots are constantly expanding. Now such programs are already reminiscent of personal secretaries, their duties include informing about the weather, discounts, booking tickets and much more. There is an opinion that chatbots will soon supplant social networks and replace a number of sites. Convenience and efficiency are on their side.

How chatbots were created

The pioneer in this matter was the American Joseph Weizenbaum, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Back in 1966, he wrote the first bot, “Eliza”.

Chatbots
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It was a virtual interlocutor who immediately set the bar high. Not all users were able to identify their counterpart as a computer. Since then, the idea has been picked up, significantly improving the first developments. Chatbots were especially interested in the advent of the Internet in the late 90s.

Even then, many understood that an electronic interlocutor is much more convenient and reliable. Since the late 90s, Americans, Japanese and Chinese have competed for the best AI (artificial intelligence) and now we have a lot of variations of chatbots that are constantly learning.

What the chatbot is based on

Few users are ready to create their own chat bot from scratch. This will require some knowledge and time, especially since there are a lot of services available that will do everything for you. It is enough to know that a chatbot can be created in any programming language that has a web API function. The most common are Node.js and PHP, as well as many other libraries that support Java or Python. All famous messengers always provide detailed guides on how to link your chatbot with their platform.

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Two types of bots have become widespread: the first one operates on the basis of a set of rules, and the second one has machine learning. This means that the first type reacts exclusively to extremely specific commands, deviations from which make chatbots useless. Such a bot will act only within the specified algorithms.

A more advanced version has artificial intelligence, i.e. machine learning. These bots already understand human language, not a set of commands. Communication opportunities are much wider. In addition, chatbots are trained after each communication session.

Modern features of chatbots

Due to their qualities, they have become very popular. Opportunities include advice on:

  • medicine;
  • law and rights;
  • insurance;
  • purchases and sales;
  • investment and other areas.

In fact, a modern bot is able to answer any question, you just need to upload information into it. The main thing is that such a program works quickly and almost always error-free, completely replacing a person.

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One of the most popular features is the organizer, when the chatbot independently creates a schedule by analyzing the received code and providing several options for time allocation. This is very convenient when a person has a busy schedule. In fact, the bot acts as a secretary, helping to save time and money.

Chatbots
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Chatbots have taken the place of assistants in search engines and messengers. So Yandex and Telegram have long been actively offering auxiliary programs to their users. Their responsibilities include both simple search and analytics.

In the entertainment sector, chatbots are used as an interlocutor or a training program. Especially interesting for children.

In online games, bots are often used that automate the game process when the computer actually plays for the user. The player only gives basic commands. This saves a lot of time.

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A more serious application is exchange chatbots. Their task is to track and analyze all the information on the trading platform and make recommendations to the broker. Of course, such a bot will not replace a person, but it will greatly facilitate his work. The share of transactions made by bots reaches 30%, which is not a little.

Modern features of chatbots are constantly being improved and expanded. Now they can be found in social networks and in serious business. Artificial intelligence does not make mistakes, while significantly saving time. A lot of money is now being invested in these technologies, and the circle of distribution is very wide.

Types and functions of chatbots

Chatbots are not always secure. So they have long been adapted to criminal needs. Cases of extortionist bots or those that find out passwords and logins of users are not uncommon.

There are several types of chatbots:

  • Consultants – from simple managers in online stores to medical and legal services. Their duties are to communicate with a potential and real client, answering all kinds of questions.
  • Helpers – can be found in instant messengers and search engines. They help in searching for information, and also conduct its initial analysis.
  • Entertainment is often a virtual interlocutor answering questions. Programs learn from the messages left, and over time can replace a real interlocutor.
  • Business chatbots – the task of these programs is to optimize the work, making it more efficient. They don’t work for you, but they make it easier. Business chatbots are the task of these programs to optimize the work, making it more efficient. They are very popular with brokers and traders when you need to urgently find out the state of the exchange. They also proved to be excellent for collecting statistical data about a particular online company. Often used as a regular diary.
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The function of chatbots lies in the plane of operational services, when you need to quickly and at any time answer a question or perform an analysis of the situation. Allows you to save on web staff, making the work automated.

Chatbot in social networks

Social networks have appreciated the capabilities of chatbots. It is known that in the popular VK network, almost half of the accounts are occupied by bots and virtuals. However, in social networks, chatbots often carry useful functions, such as: find out the exchange rate, latest news, choose tickets or any other product, make a horoscope, translate a word. They often effectively replace mobile apps because they are easier to install and cheaper.

Chatbots
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In a negative light, they manifest themselves as endless spam generators. To combat them, counterprograms are used.

With the right approach, in the absence of imagination, a chatbot will help you make new friends by taking on the function of a negotiator. Now there are already very “smart” bots that can mimic a person as much as possible.

Chatbot in business

The simplest example of chatbots in business is Bitrix24 or SpyCat 2.0. They help to optimize work and increase efficiency. Thanks to chat bots, automation of routine processes is achieved, thereby saving time and money. It is also convenient for the client, who receives information directly.

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Another important function of chatbots in business is analytics. Such programs in the financial market are very popular due to the speed of response. Sometimes chatbots are used in not entirely legal activities, when you need to create the appearance of supporting an event.

Common types of business chatbots: a weekly journal with an organizer function, a personal secretary, a currency exchange counter with constant updates, programs for analyzing the state of the financial market.

Chatbots in other areas

The future of chatbots as educational programs for children is seen as especially promising. They are not only able to answer many questions, but also provide educational material in a playful way. Chatbots in the form of electronic encyclopedias are also interesting. The program finds the necessary information by the keyword and comments on it.

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Chatbots are popular in the entertainment sector. The virtual interlocutor not only answers questions, but also learns in the process.

Advantages and disadvantages of a chatbot

Chatbots have firmly conquered their niche, and there are several reasons for this:

  • Like a computer, they are great at computing and analyze databases in seconds to come up with the best solution.
  • automates routine activities, allowing you to save on staff.
  • as an assistant, a bot is not much different from a person, while it works many times faster.
  • The chatbot searches quickly. This is very important when working with large amounts of data, for example in law.
  • Chatbots are rapidly improving and in some areas can completely replace a person.
Chatbots
Picture: chatbotsjournal.com

The disadvantages include:

  • a lot of features at the expense of efficiency. In an effort to create a universal chat bot, programmers often underestimate individual components, which is why all the work is not entirely correct.
  • simplest algorithms. To create a powerful bot, you need to have a large technological base. This is not available to a normal user.
  • imperfect interface. Usually you have to communicate with a chatbot by text typing. Artificial intelligence does not always understand what is asked of it, and even more so cannot respond to emotions.
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Despite the shortcomings, there are areas where the chatbot has performed well. Moreover, they are constantly being upgraded.

How to make a chatbot yourself

Here are some tips on how to make your own chatbot. There are several frameworks:

  • BotKit – the easiest and most affordable bot building toolkit;
  • Claudia is a great bot builder;
  • Bottr is a robust framework in which you can test your bot.

For lazy people who prefer to skip the whole programming process, there are special services for creating bots:

  • wit.ai is a bot service that analyzes text messages and gives answers based on it;
  • motion.ai – the simplest service that allows you to create your own chatbot;
  • chatfuel – especially for working in Telegram and Facebook.

A number of social media apps have ready-made chatbots that are already built into your account by default.

Chatbot Development Cost Today

Prices for creating a chatbot can vary greatly depending on the requirements and qualifications of the programmer. This market is still quite new, but there is some demand. The most common bot can be ordered from a freelancer for $200.

A corporate bot will cost much more – $5,000. On average, an hour of development costs $100.

The most popular chatbot

The largest bot search engine is Chatbottle. With its help, you can find hundreds of different bots for any of the messengers. There you can also find recommendations for their use and ratings.

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The Poncho bot for Facebook enjoys the greatest love. Its services include weather alerts, but the program not only heartlessly reports the forecast, but also jokes. This is typical, because it has been noticed that the most popular chat bots are those that cheer up.

Prospects for development

Chatbots appeared a long time ago, but they have become a fashion trend relatively recently. It is not yet entirely clear how this market will develop. One thing is obvious – the scope of such bots is very wide and large companies are interested in them. This means that a lot of money will be invested in technology. Therefore, experienced programmers are already exploring this niche.

Maybe a new revolution is waiting for us, when chatbots will replace mobile applications, maybe social networks will become a thing of the past, leaving their place to new messengers. One way or another, but the base of artificial intelligence is rapidly improving, and such developments fit well into the concept of human robotization in the future.

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