Chatbot
A software program designed to simulate conversation with a user, responding to text inputs with pre-defined or AI-generated replies.
A chatbot is a program that holds a conversation with a user, responding to messages in natural language. Chatbots range from simple rule-based systems (if user says "hello", reply "Hi!") to sophisticated AI-powered bots using large language models like GPT or Claude.
Rule-based vs AI chatbots: Rule-based chatbots follow decision trees and can only handle questions they were explicitly programmed for. AI chatbots use language models and can handle open-ended questions, adapt to context, and generate original responses.
Chatbot vs AI agent: A chatbot is reactive — it responds to what you say. An agent is proactive — it takes a sequence of actions to complete a goal. Most customer-service bots are chatbots; an AI assistant that books flights for you is an agent.
Common use cases: Customer support automation, lead capture on websites, FAQ answering, appointment booking, and product recommendation.
Example
A dental clinic embeds a chatbot on its website. When a visitor types "What are your opening hours?", the chatbot replies instantly with the clinic's schedule — without a staff member responding.
Related terms
AI Agent
A software program that uses an AI model to take autonomous actions — browsing the web, writing files, calling APIs — to complete a goal without step-by-step human instructions.
Large Language Model (LLM)
A neural network trained on massive amounts of text to predict and generate human language.
Prompt
The text instruction you send to an AI model asking it to do something.