Building AI Powered Chatbots Without Programming

MODULE 1 : Introduction to Chatbots

In this Article, we're going to focus on one of the most popular applications of AI available today namely, Chatbots, which are one example of conversational AI. Chatbots are exploding in popularity. So much so, the Gartner predicts that by next year, a quarter of all customer service operations will use Chatbots to assist their customers. This presents a great opportunity for individuals and companies who have the skills to build, say, Chatbots. That's my goal for this course, to teach you how to build customer service Chatbots. AI is getting smarter and more readily available. As such, I would be able to teach you how to create Chatbots without the need to write any single line of code.

We'll start off by introducing Chatbots and discuss what they are, as well as why they are becoming so popular. Next in module two and three, we'll introduce intents and entities, which are two key components of any Chatbot. In module four, we'll tackle the dialog itself, including Chatbot design considerations, and best practices. In module five, we'll deploy the Chatbot to an actual website that will be generated for you. This means that anyone with a link to your site can try out your Chatbot. Finally, in module six and seven, we'll consider more advanced topics that can really help you polish the user experience, and create more advanced Chatbots.

Introduction to Chatbots

1. What is Chatbot?

A chatbot (conversational interface, AI agent) is a computer program that can understand human language and converse with a user via a website or a messaging app. Chatbots can handle various tasks online — from answering simple questions and scheduling calls to gathering customer feedback. Brands use bots to automate their business processes, speed up customer service, and lower support costs.

2. The Differences Between Chatbot and bot?

A chatbot is a conversational interface that communicates with users via text or voice. On the other hand, the bot is a type of software that automates repetitive tasks like searching for information and adding it to sites, but it doesn’t chat with users.

3. What is an AI Chatbot?

AI chat bots are based on machine learning and natural language processing (NLP). Data power them, and they use it to answer user questions freely. AI bots can learn independently, and they get better with every conversation they have with users.

4. What is a rule based Chatbot?

Rule-based AI agents work based on definite rules and provide pre-defined replies. They can only answer correctly the questions they were programmed to answer. Rule-based bots can’t improve independently.

5. Chatbot Usecases

Chatbots can help brands improve a wide variety of business operations. They can help you scale up your customer service, streamline marketing activities and boost sales. Adding a chat robot to your customer communication strategy can help you build better relationships with your clients and boost growth.

Taught by: Antonio Cangiano Engineering Manager and AI Specialist

IBM Developer Skills Network