A chatbot is a computer program that can talk with people using text or speech, usually to answer questions or help with tasks. It tries to respond in a way that feels like a real conversation.
“Chatbot” combines “chat,” meaning casual conversation, and “bot,” short for “robot.” The term became popular in the late 20th and early 21st centuries as online messaging and AI tools grew.
Chatbots are the descendants of early programs like ELIZA from the 1960s, which just mirrored your words back at you. Modern chatbots use patterns from billions of sentences, so they’re like super-compressed libraries that talk back. Every time you chat with one, you’re nudging the future of human–computer communication.
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