A website or messaging tool that uses AI to hold a back-and-forth conversation with visitors, answering questions or guiding them toward an action.
Definition of “Chatbot (Conversational AI)”
Older chatbots followed rigid decision trees: pick option one, two, or three. Conversational AI tools built on language models can understand a visitor's question in plain language, even if it does not match a pre-written script, and respond in a natural way.
On a business website, this is most useful for answering common questions, qualifying a visitor before they reach a sales team, or capturing contact details from someone who would otherwise leave without taking action.
“Chatbot (Conversational AI)” In Practice
A real estate brokerage adds a chat assistant that answers questions about listings, financing basics, and neighborhood details around the clock. When a visitor asks about a specific property and shows buying intent, the assistant collects their contact information and notifies the assigned agent.
Worth Knowing
A chat assistant should be clear that it is automated and should have an easy path to a human. Visitors tolerate AI assistance well when it is transparent and fails gracefully, and tolerate it poorly when it pretends to be a person and gets stuck.