Chatterbot

Definition - What does Chatterbot mean?

A chatterbot is an artificial intelligence (AI) program simulating interactive human conversation using key pre-calculated user phrases and auditory signals. Chatterbots are basic customer service and marketing systems frequenting social networking hubs and instant messaging (IM) clients, chatting about products or services and stealing confidential user information.

This term is also known as an artificial conversational entity (ACE), chat bot, talk bot or chatterbox.


Techopedia explains Chatterbot

Early classic chatterbots include ELIZA (1966), named for Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion and My Fair Lady, and PARRY (1972), based on paranoid schizophrenic behavior. Modern chatterbots include:

  • Artificial Linguistic Internet Computer Entity (ALICE)
  • Jabberwacky
  • Racter


In 1950, Alan Turing proposed the Turing test intelligence criteria set, which depends on undetectable program simulation of human user behavior and activity. The Turing test generated high interest in the ELIZA program, which makes people believe they are chatting with human beings.

Most chatterbots, including ALICE and use pattern matching versus reasoning. For example, ALICE cannot pass the Turing test because AI requires strong reasoning abilities. However, Jabberwacky uses user interactions for new response and context generation.

Popular White Papers

Techopedia Newsletter Sign-Up

Get Techopedia delivered to your inbox!