The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in recent years has seen an increasing number of businesses begin to take advantage of its technology. In order to streamline their operations and improve the customer experience.
One new technology, which has become particularly popular with both consumers and businesses, are chatbots. Which aim to replicate human conversation through the use of AI and machine learning techniques. But what’s the difference between chatbots and conversational AI? And how do they work? Let’s find out.
Defining Conversational AI
Conversational AI is a general term to describe technology that is able to hold conversations in natural language. While most people think of ChatBots when they hear about Conversational AI. There are several other types of technology that fit into Conversational AI.
In order to understand how these technologies relate to each other. It’s important we first review how humans interact with each other. Three main categories of Human interaction: Interaction by voice (i.e., telephone), interaction by typing (i.e., instant messaging), and interaction by face-to-face communication (i.e., meeting someone).
Each of these forms of human communication has its own set of rules for how messages are interpreted; what constitutes a complete message; what role context plays in interpreting messages; and so on. Since every form of human communication has its own set of rules. It stands to reason that computers would need their own sets of rules as well. If they were going to communicate with us effectively.
Conversational AI
The goal for any type of Conversational AI is therefore to develop computer systems. Capable of interacting with us in ways similar to how we interact with each other. When you have a conversation with another person. You don’t have to worry about spelling or grammar. Because you assume your interlocutor will understand what you mean regardless of minor errors.
You also don’t have to worry about word choice or whether your vocabulary is too advance. Because you know your interlocutor will understand what you mean regardless of minor errors. If either party doesn’t understand something, then ask clarification questions until reach an understanding.
written communications
The same holds true for written communications, although it’s much easier to clarify misunderstandings via written communications than spoken ones. The bottom line is that both parties in a conversation must share some common knowledge about how words and phrases interpret before meaningful communication can take place.
This shared knowledge is a conversation model. For example, if I tell my wife I love her, she knows I am expressing my love and not asking her to pass me my slippers. She knows I am not trying to start an argument with her. Even though love is often used as an insult in arguments. She knows I didn’t say I loathe you instead of I love you. We have developed a conversation model together over our years together. It allows us to communicate complex ideas without having to spell out every single detail explicitly.
Unfortunately, computers aren’t yet smart enough to understand all of our nuances as we do with each other. They still rely heavily on explicit instructions for tasks. Instead of being able to figure things out from context alone as we do with each other. To make matters worse, different people have different expectations of how computers should behave.
Humans behavior vs robots
Some people want computers to behave exactly like humans while others prefer them to behave more robotically. To complicate things further, our expectations change depending on what kind of task we are trying to accomplish. For example, when ordering a pizza online versus placing an emergency call for help. It’s clear that computers have a long way to go before we can truly interact with them in a manner similar to how we interact with each other.
It’s clear that computers have a long way to go before we can truly interact with them in a manner similar to how we interact with each other. Fortunately, advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning are making it possible for computers to understand and interpret human communication better than ever before.
Computer scientists are now able to teach computers how to understand and interpret human communication using large amounts of data. The more data a computer has, the better it gets at understanding human communication. The better it gets at understanding human communication. The closer we get to computers that can truly interact with us in a manner similar to how we interact with each other.
Machine learning
One of these new methods for teaching computers how to understand and interpret human communication as machine learning. Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence that focuses on training computers to learn how to perform specific tasks by exposing them to large amounts of training data.
The advantage of machine learning is that it can enable computers to understand and interpret human communication. With far fewer rules than traditional programming languages require. The disadvantage of machine learning is that it requires an enormous amount of training data. In order for computers to become proficient at understanding and interpreting human communication.
One way around these disadvantages is to combine traditional programming languages with machine learning. The result is a method for creating software that can understand and interpret human communication in a manner similar to how we interact with each other. This method is known as deep learning.
Deep learning relies on neural networks to mimic how our brains process information. The advantage of deep learning is that it can enable computers to understand and interpret human communication with far fewer rules. Than traditional programming languages require. The disadvantage of deep learning is that it requires an enormous amount of training data in order for computers to become proficient at understanding and interpreting human communication.
Defining a Chatbot
A chatbot is a piece of software that conducts a conversation via auditory or textual methods. The primary intent is to simulate or assist in human-to-human conversations for fun, business, research, or other purposes.
Chatbots are used extensively in customer service applications as an alternative to traditional methods of interacting with a company. They can be used on social media platforms such as Facebook Messenger, Slack, Skype, etc., as well as mobile messaging apps like Kik Messenger and Telegram. There are many different types of chatbots; some have pre-programmed responses based on keywords, while others use machine learning algorithms to develop their own responses.
In terms of artificial intelligence (AI), there’s a lot of confusion about what exactly constitutes true AI—and whether it exists at all—but most people agree that true AI should be able to perform tasks that seem humanlike: think, learn, make decisions and take actions based on those decisions. While chatbots don’t possess true AI, they do provide basic assistance when you need help from a company.
For example, if you ask a chatbot where your order is or why your credit card was declined. It will look up your account information and provide you with an answer. That said, chatbots aren’t always available 24/7. When they are available, however, you can expect them to respond within seconds. Many companies are now using chatbots as part of their marketing strategies.
The Main Benefits of Conversation with AI
It seems that everything is turning into a Chatbot. That was supposed to be a joke, but as soon as you read it, you knew it’s not that far-fetched of an idea… This means that businesses need to get on board with these tools sooner rather than later because they’re sure to change how we work and live. When it comes to technology, conversations are at the heart of its foundation. So what does all of that mean for your business? Let’s take a look.
Businesses across industries can benefit from a conversation with AI in different ways. However, there are several areas where businesses seem to always include them: marketing or customer service.
Because humans can interact much better using natural language while machines process data much more effectively using programming language, you will find yourself benefitting from both types of intelligence working together in a conversation-like manner.
No matter what your industry is, adding conversation with artificial intelligence will positively impact how customers perceive your brand and how employees perform their job functions. The biggest benefits that come along with having a Chatbot in your business have to do with increased efficiency, improved productivity, and ultimately getting more done.
For example, if you’re running an e-commerce business and sales have been slow lately (which they probably have), it would be helpful for your Chatbot to know that information so it could suggest certain products based on past purchases.
Why Businesses Should Invest in Creating Conversational Experiences
For many companies, it’s not only an exciting time to be part of history—but it’s also a critical period. Conversational interfaces are no longer hype; they’re what consumers now expect. How can businesses stay relevant in such a turbulent market?
By investing in creating conversations that give customers choice. And while it might seem intimidating at first, you have to admit: Chatbots vs. conversational AI: What’s really going on here? The more we use these tools, the more comfortable we become with them.
Soon enough, our expectations will shift from I want to talk to a human to I want my bot/AI assistant/smart speaker/smart TV/etc. to do X for me. If your business doesn’t provide those experiences, then someone else will. That’s why conversational interfaces aren’t just another trend or marketing fad—they represent a fundamental change in how people interact with brands.
And if your company isn’t ready for that change, then it could soon find itself out of business. Now is a great time to start getting involved with developing conversational interfaces.
