Agents
Chatbot
A software agent that holds a conversation with a user via text or voice; modern chatbots are powered by large language models and tool integrations.
A chatbot is a software system that simulates conversation with a human user through a text or voice interface. The term spans a wide range of implementations — from simple rule-based scripts in the 1960s (ELIZA) and 1990s (IRC bots), through intent-classifier systems like Dialogflow, to today’s assistants powered by large language models such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
Modern LLM chatbots are distinguished by their ability to maintain context across long conversations, follow complex instructions, and call external tools (web search, code execution, document retrieval). When a chatbot is given autonomy to plan and execute multi-step tasks on its own, it crosses into the territory of an AI agent.
Typical applications include customer support, internal enterprise search (knowledge bases), sales qualification, education, and coding assistance. Major risks include hallucinations, prompt injection, and leakage of sensitive system-prompt data. On the regulatory side, the EU AI Act requires chatbots to disclose their AI nature to users (Article 50, applicable from August 2026).