Introduction
Surprisingly enough, chatbots have been around longer than personal computers.
In 1966 we saw the invention of the chatbot by MIT and since then the technology has been developing rapidly. Almost everyone in the modern era is aware of chatbots and a huge number of people use them daily.
Siri and Alexa being the two most people will recognise – anyone who remembers these features first being brought to mobile phones can tell you how far the technology has come. But what are chatbots up to now? And what will they be doing in the future?
Customer Service bots
Chatbots have revolutionised online shopping and other online services by providing immediate, 24-hour customer service.
More and more sites are implementing virtual assistants to aid customers at all hours. Not only improving the service for the customer but taking the load off of the real customer service assistants. General inquiries can be solved by these handy AIs, many having a set list of questions for the customer to ask. Like a more intuitive and friendly FAQ section.
Any more complex issues do need to be handed over to a real-life person but with the AI helping out, it means more of those real people are available to solve important issues.
Bots that save lives
Chatbots such as Siri can be an invaluable help to people with physical disabilities.
The fact that so many things can be linked up to an AI removes hundreds of tiny tasks that able-bodied people wouldn’t even recognise as an issue are suddenly taken care of. This can offer independence and security to someone living with such conditions. Actions such as turning on a light or playing music can be controlled by voice rather than needing to get up to perform the action.
Calling emergency numbers or services can also be done via voice in case of an accident – this can and has saved lives.
Developing Chatbots
The key to chatbot’s future is development. Mainly, how well can they comprehend questions and how complex of a reply can they give?
Every chatbot needs programming – most AIs we come into contact with have a long list of keywords and how to respond to each one. In the case of Siri and other mobile assistants, you can give it your own words or phrases and tell it how to respond.
In order for chatbots to go further, they must be able to comprehend more complex ideas. In the future, many hope that chatbots will be left responsible for certain decisions and actions, rather than handing them over to a live assistant.
For example, next time you make a purchase and the item arrives damaged, rather than the chatbot connecting you with a representative, that chatbot will be intelligent enough to make the refund for you. Completely removing the need to talk to a real person.
Healthcare bots
Chatbots are also being implemented into the healthcare industry- such as the launch of the NHS’s 111 online service.
This connects users to a chatbot that can tell them whether or not they need immediate medical attention. With further development, this could potentially be made more and more dependable and maybe even provide a diagnosis.
Summary
It’s expected that chatbots will make their way into more and more industries.
More and more inquiries will be handled by chatbots saving humans time and effort. There are concerns that chatbots could give incorrect information. However, since chatbots are digital, recording and monitoring them is easy.
This data will allow chatbots to be made more and more reliable and therefore be responsible for more and more things.
Soon we may not be able to tell whether we’re talking to a chatbot or a real person.
