By far, the greatest danger of artificial intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it
- Eliezer Yudkowsky, AI theorist and author
Did you know that the first-ever chatbot was developed at the MIT AI Laboratory by Joseph Weizenbaum in the 1960s called Eliza? It was designed to mimic human conversation and used a script that simulated a psychotherapist.
The earliest efforts to incorporate AI into chatbots came in 1992 with Dr. Sbaitso. It was also programmed to converse as a psychologist.
However, it was not until recently that chatbots have become more mainstream. Today, as we trudge through the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), constant advancements are being made in the field of AI. Especially during this past decade have these advancements have taken the functionality of chatbots to a whole new level. And yet, despite its enhancements, it still has more ground to gain.
As AI-powered chatbots continue to expand, many misconceptions have made headway as well. Let's take a look at five common misconceptions about AI-powered chatbots:
One of the most common misconceptions about chatbots is that people think they are all the same or are AI-driven. Indeed, there's a big difference between chatbots from their approach and purpose to development methods.
Let's look at the three main chatbot development methods:
This is another misconception that doesn't hold true. Using AI-powered chatbots is highly beneficial for your business or company: whether it's large or small. Pizza Hut, Sephora, Spotify are great examples of big brands that use AI-driven chatbots; however, it doesn't mean that smaller companies and brands should avoid using them. In a survey of CEOs from small and medium-sized businesses, 29.5% of them spoke in favor of AI technology and its benefits to their businesses. This shows that small and medium-sized businesses still don't completely comprehend the benefits that AI-powered chatbots can bring their businesses.
The main benefits of using chatbots to grow your small business are:
It's wise to integrate the chatbot if you're a small business to keep up with your competition. It not only helps your small business grow but also enhances your customers' satisfaction and employees' productivity as well!
Another common misconception about chatbots is that they can understand and answer every type of question.
It's true that most chatbots are trained for multiple question variations with predefined answers. However, they are not trained for every kind of question. Some people think that if they ask ridiculous questions, they'll still receive adequate answers from a bot, but that's not always possible. It depends on the chatbot, its functionality, its purpose, and how well it is trained.
Before asking a chatbot a question, remember; the bot cannot answer all questions. It answers only within the framework of its training and what is already present in its knowledge base. Still, AI technologies, like NLP and ML, are enhancing the functionalities of chatbots, as the latter gets better at understanding the user's intent and providing personalized and related responses.
When people hear about chatbots, they immediately associate them with customer service. This is not necessarily true. If chatbots were only used in the customer service industry, then they would only serve to answer FAQ.
Today, chatbots present countless possibilities that can be used for different use-cases. They are not used for specific fields only; rather, they serve numerous industries. These industries can utilize chatbots for different purposes and for different actions.
Without a doubt, chatbots integrated into customer service platforms are a huge key to a business's success, but when it comes to the different uses of AI-powered chatbots, their potential is endless.
From increasing customer loyalty to automating orders and improving sales; chatbots are spreading their roots in almost every industry today. There are plenty of effective chatbot use-cases for various sectors, such as:
Of course, it depends on the person. However, many people engage with chatbots on a daily basis on their smartphones without realizing it.
For example, did you know that Facebook Messenger has a total of 300,000 chatbots? And it converses with 1.3 billion people monthly.
A lot of people find it better to interact with a chatbot on a regular basis. Modern bots are trained to mimic human dialogue and provide an ultimate personalized experience. According to Invesp, 40% of consumers don't care whether a chatbot or a human agent assists them as long as they are getting the proper help.
One of the main reasons people can rely on chatbots is the power of knowledge base and NLP that chatbots have. These make conversations sound natural and more personalized. At the end of the day, a customer wants to be appreciated and have its needs and demands heard. Chatbots can provide the valuable assistance they require!
One of the biggest obstacles companies and businesses face is that they avoid using new technologies and innovations like chatbots because they have a vague understanding of their capabilities and believe in different misconceptions like the ones we mentioned above.
Chatbots can be extremely valuable for different industries. By overcoming these misconceptions and doubts regarding the capabilities of chatbots, industries can invest in them and flourish. We can expect new innovations in the field of AI, and hopefully, these misconceptions surrounding them will start to dissipate as people begin to grasp and appreciate their value.