AI bots, also known as chatbots or chatterbots, are computer programs designed to imitate human interaction. They are used for customer support and entertainment, but can also be used maliciously. The technology has been available since 1966 with the invention of ELIZA, and continues to progress towards incorporating it into robots.
An AI bot is a computer-based program designed to interact with and imitate a human being. These programs are also called chat bots or chatterbots. In 2011, the technology used by AI robots is usually not sophisticated enough to be mistaken for another human. Advances in computer programming, however, allow these programs to conduct simple conversations. These bots are often used by businesses to meet customer support needs, although they are also common in entertainment.
Historically, the development of the AI bot has relied on a computer’s ability to match patterns. Speech patterns that occur in conversation can be treated in the same way as number patterns, to generate a computer response to a human question or statement. The technology used by an artificial intelligence bot has been available since 1966, with the invention of ELIZA, and continues to be used today in programs such as the Artificial Linguistic Internet Computer Entity (ALICE). This type of AI bot can engage in conversation with a human by responding to the human’s input with natural sounding language. The complexity of the language and context, however, make many of these programs’ responses to human language seem silly or non-sequential.
The artificial intelligence bot technology used in ELIZA and ALICE is often used in customer service chat boxes on the Internet. People can ask questions and get answers from the computer program, eliminating the need for a live customer support representative. In many cases, interacting with a computer program to get an answer to a simple question provides a quick answer for the customer, saving the company money. Unfortunately, this technology can also be used maliciously by hackers in an attempt to harvest sensitive information from people.
In the 2000s, developments in AI programs led to the AI bot called Jabberwacky. This program was intended as entertainment only and was created to mimic human interaction. In many cases, a human subject cannot distinguish between a conversation with the Jabberwacky program and a conversation with a live human. Ultimately, the purpose of this technology is to incorporate it into robots to make them interact more like humans. The technology is, in 2011, in its infancy, although progress continues to be made.
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