What is Chatbot Technology and What Will the Future Hold?

What is Chatbot Technology and What Will the Future Hold?

      Thanks to advancements in artificial intelligence technology in recent years, chatbot technology has also improved and seen increased usage. Conversational AI technology has been created by combining Natural Language Processing and Deep Learning Technologies.

Chatbots are conversational robots that use dialog-based artificial intelligence technology to engage in human-like conversations. With this technology, businesses have started automating their operations using chatbots. Tasks such as check-ins, reservations, ordering, making payments, and providing feedback can all be accomplished with chatbots.

The increase in messaging rates has also led to an increased use and importance of chatbots. Now, in addition to personal messaging, messaging has also begun between customers and businesses. Businesses can engage in human-like conversations with customers through chatbots without human intervention. Customers find messaging with businesses to be a more practical solution. Additionally, according to a study by Facebook, about 70% of customers trust businesses they can message with.

According to Business Insider's research, more than 65% of customers prefer companies that use chatbots for communication. 63% of participants stated that they communicate more with companies using chatbots compared to two years ago. This indicates an increasing number of businesses using chatbot technology.

History of Chatbots

      One of the significant early works in this field is Alan Turing's 1951 paper titled "Can Machines Think?" According to Turing's paper, if a machine, in real-time communication with humans, can mimic human conversations and behaviors and convince the humans it interacts with, then the machine can be considered to "think" intelligently. This paper laid the foundation for the Turing test, which is still used today to test chatbots. With the recent advances in artificial intelligence, chatbots have reached a point where they can hardly be distinguished from human conversation. This advancement has led to the widespread use of chatbots by businesses.

In 1966, influenced by Alan Turing's work, MIT professor Joseph Weizenbaum programmed ELIZA, considered the first chatbot. ELIZA was designed as an open-ended question-asking therapist. ELIZA could generate responses based on keywords in conversations. For example, when a person said, "My mother cooks delicious meals," ELIZA, using the keyword "mother," would respond with a question like, "Can you tell me more about your family?"

You can chat with the first chatbot, ELIZA, at https://web.njit.edu/~ronkowit/eliza.html.

Nowadays, especially with recent developments in artificial intelligence, chatbots have advanced to a point where their conversation with humans is almost indistinguishable from real human conversations. This development has led to the adoption of chatbots by businesses.

Turing Test

      In the Turing test, there is an "interrogator," a human, who communicates with Users A and B. One of A and B is female, and the other is male. In each interaction, both users try to convince the interrogator that they are the female. When a machine replaces the interrogator and the rate at which it correctly identifies which user is female doesn't change, it is considered that the machine "thinks." The Turing test sets a high bar. The degree to which machines approach the correct answer can measure how advanced the machine is.

WhatsApp Business API Chatbots

      With advancements in chatbot technology, Facebook developed WhatsApp Business API, a WhatsApp module that businesses can use. WhatsApp Business API chatbots are chatbots that can communicate with the WhatsApp platform.

By integrating WhatsApp Business API into your business, you can provide solutions to your customers using state-of-the-art chatbots. You can consolidate various business operations such as order placement, payment collection, appointment scheduling, and feedback collection under one roof and communicate with your customers 24/7 in real-time.

If you want to take a closer look at the benefits of WhatsApp Business API integration for your business, you can check our article [What Are the Benefits of Using WhatsApp Business API for Your Business?].

The Future of Chatbots

      In the future, it is predicted that chatbots will become increasingly successful in providing human-like experiences. Chatbot technology, which began with ELIZA in 1966 when artificial intelligence technology was not yet advanced, has rapidly become widespread due to recent developments in artificial intelligence.

In 2021, it was calculated that more than 88% of customers worldwide had communicated with chatbots at least once. Currently, about 20% of businesses use chatbots. Approximately 60% of businesses state that they are not currently using chatbot technology but plan to do so in the future. Considering these figures, businesses will increasingly adopt chatbots.

According to a study by Jupiter Research, in 2023, the total savings achieved by companies through the use of chatbots will reach 11 million dollars. The market size of chatbots is expected to be 0.8 million dollars in 2023. Considering the market size of 0.8 million dollars, the prospect of companies using chatbots saving 11 million dollars is promising.

The average return on investment for chatbots is calculated to be 1275%. This calculation only considers profits. There are also benefits of using chatbots, such as increasing customer satisfaction and acquiring new customers.

WhatsApp is one of the important platforms where the use of chatbots will increase. With 2 billion users, it is likely that businesses will primarily use WhatsApp as a means of communication with customers.

How to Use Chatbots?

      You can use chatbot technology on many social media platforms. It is frequently used on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, especially because of their high usage rates.

You can start using chatbots on WhatsApp through WhatsApp Business API integration. To learn more about the operations you can perform with WhatsApp Business API integration, you can check our article [What Can You Do with WhatsApp Business API?].

If you want to start using a WhatsApp Business API chatbot with the help of İşteChat: Get Started / Contact Us Here.

To learn more about WhatsApp Business API, you can check our article [What Is WhatsApp Business API?].