Chatbots are everywhere these days, but what exactly are they? In the early days of chatbot technology, IVR phone systems were popular in business settings. Today, Siri, Alexa, and Google’s chatbot are commonplace.

The first iteration of chatbots was the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) phone systems that prompted users to select options. The early versions of chatbots used decision trees to give predetermined answers to specific questions. However, as natural language processing technology improved, chatbots were able to understand language better, which led to the development of Natural Language Understanding and Natural Language Generation.

Chatbots have evolved to include natural language processing and understanding, which allows them to respond to users more effectively. Natural language generation is the next stage of development, where chatbots can generate human-like responses. Natural Language Understanding allows chatbots to understand a wider range of questions, while Natural Language Generation enables chatbots to generate more human-like responses.

Chatbots continue to improve with machine learning and AI, where they can learn from previous interactions and adapt their responses to provide the best information possible. They are constantly retraining themselves based on customer interactions and feedback, improving over time like a fine wine.

Overall, chatbots have become a sophisticated and useful tool for customer service, and their potential continues to expand with new technological advancements.