Conversational AI

Definition

Conversational AI refers to systems that enable machines to engage in dialogue with humans using natural language. It includes chatbots, virtual assistants, and voice interfaces.

Purpose

The purpose is to provide natural, interactive communication between humans and machines. It improves customer support, accessibility, and information retrieval.

Importance

  • Enhances usability through natural communication.
  • Widely used in customer service and consumer devices.
  • Must handle ambiguity and varied user intent.
  • Requires safeguards against harmful or biased responses.

How It Works

  1. Capture input through text or speech.
  2. Use Natural Language Understanding (NLU) to interpret intent.
  3. Retrieve or generate responses using AI models.
  4. Deliver output as text or speech.
  5. Improve system via user feedback.

Examples (Real World)

  • Apple Siri: conversational voice assistant.
  • Google Assistant: handles natural language queries.
  • OpenAI ChatGPT: conversational text-based AI.

References / Further Reading

  • Speech and Language Processing — Jurafsky & Martin, Stanford.
  • Conversational AI: Dialogue Systems and Chatbots — ACM Computing Surveys.
  • NIST AI Risk Management Framework — NIST.