{"id":37245,"date":"2019-08-27T12:22:14","date_gmt":"2019-08-27T16:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drift.com\/?post_type=learn&p=37245"},"modified":"2023-05-08T10:06:21","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T14:06:21","slug":"ai-chatbots","status":"publish","type":"learn","link":"https:\/\/www.drift.com\/learn\/chatbot\/ai-chatbots\/","title":{"rendered":"An Introduction to AI Chatbots | Chatbot AI Learning Center"},"author":267,"featured_media":0,"parent":33550,"menu_order":0,"template":"","acf":{"hero":{"title":"An Introduction to AI Chatbots","subtitle":"","hero_image":false},"body_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"cta_section","title":"test","body":"","cta_type":"button","cta_link":"#link","cta_text":"test","form_action":false,"interaction_id":"","form_subtext":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_section","header":{"title":"","style":"h2"},"body":"

Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are a fascinating advancement in today\u2019s digital technology landscape. They can do it all \u2014 whether it’s helping you order a pizza, answering specific questions, or guiding you through a complex B2B sales process.<\/span><\/p>\n

With all the things that artificial intelligence chatbots can do, there are times when they almost seem like magic. And that makes AI chatbots a source of confusion (and sometimes fear) for the people who encounter them.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the truth is AI chatbots are simply a tool that you can use to level up your digital experience. Albeit, a powerful one.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, you might be wondering, what exactly are AI chatbots? How do they work? And when should you be using them to level up your business conversations?<\/span><\/p>\n

We answer all those questions (and more) in this introductory guide to AI chatbots.<\/span><\/p>\n","highlight_section":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_section","header":{"title":"What is an AI Chatbot?","style":"h2"},"body":"

Artificial intelligence chatbots are chatbots trained to have human-like conversations using a process known as natural language processing (NLP). <\/b>With NLP, the AI chatbot is able to interpret human language as it is written, which enables them to operate more or less on their own.<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words, <\/span>AI chatbot software<\/span><\/a> can understand language outside of pre-programmed commands and provide a response based on existing data. This allows site visitors to lead the conversation, voicing their intent in their own words.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What\u2019s more, AI chatbots are constantly learning from their conversations \u2014 so, over time, they can adapt their responses to different patterns and new situations. This means they can be applied to a wide range of uses, such as analyzing a customer\u2019s feelings or making predictions about what a site visitor is looking for on your website.<\/span><\/p>\n","highlight_section":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_section","header":{"title":"How an AI Chatbot Works","style":"h2"},"body":"

Today, one of the biggest roadblocks to AI adoption is that <\/span>nearly half of all marketers<\/span><\/a> consider themselves AI beginners. But the truth is you don\u2019t need to have a PhD in NLP (or even be a programmer) to set up an AI chatbot.<\/span><\/p>\n

All you need is a good AI chatbot software and a basic understanding of how an AI chatbot operates. Here\u2019s a quick rundown \ud83d\udc47<\/span><\/p>\n

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At the base level, an AI chatbot is fed input data which it interprets and translates into a relevant output. So, if a site visitor asks a question, the AI chatbot will analyze their intent, as well as other factors like tone and sentiment, and then attempt to deliver the best possible answer.<\/span><\/p>\n

To do this, the AI chatbot needs access to tons of conversational data. That\u2019s why AI chatbots have to go through a training period where a programmer teaches it how to understand the context of a person\u2019s words. It\u2019s this understanding which allows the chatbot to answer complex queries in a natural, conversational way.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the idea of training an AI chatbot is sounding off alarm bells for you, don’t worry. Drift’s Conversational AI, for example, is pre-trained on over six-billion conversations, as well as topics specific to your company, making it available out-of-the-box. Through the AI Topic Library<\/a>, you can customize responses to common topics, adding and generating examples for those topics, and even creating new custom topics. Plus, with Drift\u2019s <\/span>GPT integration<\/span><\/a>, you can automatically generate topic examples so that you can save time while training your chatbot, which means going live with AI even faster.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now that you know the basics of how an AI chatbot works, with the right software in place, you can create a conversational experience that delivers the right information to your site visitors at the right time. To learn more, check out our resource on <\/span>how to design AI chatbots<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","highlight_section":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_section","header":{"title":"Which Is Better \u2014 AI Chatbots or Rule-based Chatbots?","style":"h2"},"body":"

When choosing between AI chatbots and more traditional <\/span>rule-based chatbots<\/span><\/a>, your decision will ultimately come down to your use case \u2014 because different types of chatbots serve different needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rule-based chatbots are <\/span>automated<\/b>, following rules established in advance. In other words, they stick to the script.<\/span><\/p>\n

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While they\u2019re not as flexible as their AI counterparts, rule-based chatbots <\/span>do <\/span><\/i>have their advantages. If you want to create a predictable, controlled experience, rule-based chatbots allow you to guide your audience towards specific goals \u2014 be it speaking to a human, downloading a piece of content, or signing up for a demo.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, rule-based chatbots are not programmed to respond to changes in language<\/b>. If a visitor arrives on the website and asks something you didn\u2019t set up a response for, the chatbot won\u2019t be able to produce an answer.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, <\/span>an AI chatbot can have more flexible, human-like conversations. It can learn a lot more about your site visitors and apply that knowledge effectively with little intervention. <\/b>This also gives your sales reps a wealth of information about your buyers so that they can better personalize their own conversations.<\/span><\/p>\n

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So, if you are looking for a chatbot that can handle complex queries or help you make sense of massive datasets, AI chatbots are a better choice. Some frequent use cases include:<\/span><\/p>\n