'Safety First – Online Security'Chatbots: AI-powered virtual assistants

Tim Hensgen
adapted for RTL Today
In our "Safety First" series, we introduce you to various terms that you should be familiar with in your daily internet use.

It can be a frustrating experience to find oneself in a conversation with a chatbot, particularly when seeking to resolve a complaint about a product or service. A chatbot is a software programme designed to simulate conversation. The chatbot’s task is to answer questions, provide information, and carry out tasks automatically, without any further human involvement. These programmes operate using either predefined scripts or artificial intelligence.

Several tell-tale signs can indicate you are interacting with a bot. If responses are simple, highly repetitive, and rarely vary from a set pattern, you are likely communicating with a chatbot. Their language is typically formal and polite, with correct grammar. However, there are also AI chatbots that use advanced algorithms to generate answers to all sorts of questions.

To confirm whether you are engaging with a chatbot, you can use online bot-checking tools or scrutinise the profile and account information on the website in question. A critical rule of thumb in any such interaction is to exercise caution and avoid sharing personal or sensitive information with the automated system.

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