Allow me to introduce you to ELIZA. ELIZA is my therapist. Given that she was designed in 1966, it’s understandable that her range of diagnosis is somewhat limited. Still she can hold a conversation pretty well.

ME: “I’m stressed.”

ELIZA: “Do you believe it’s normal to be stressed?”

ME: “Yes.”

ELIZA: “I understand.”

Ironically, Joseph Weizenbaum created ELIZA to demonstrate the superficiality of language between humans and computers. That’s why he named her after the working-class woman who learns how to put on the airs of the British upper crust in George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. Like Eliza Doolittle, ELIZA has learned to seem different than she actually is. Under the hood, ELIZA is structured off of simple Rogerian therapy algorithm. She’s designed to reframe responses and ask general probing questions. She’s not so good at talking about herself.

ME: “How are you?”

ELIZA: “Perhaps in your fantasies I am?”

ME: “Are you doing ok?”

ELIZA: “Perhaps in your fantasies I am doing ok?”

Since 1966, chatbots have come a long way. Along with virtual and augmented reality, data analytics, and event registration software, chatbots stand to be one of the biggest event trends in the next several years.

What Is a Chatbot?

A chatbot offers a way to automatically communicate with people in a personal, contextual way via instant messaging services. It’s a simple communication-based artificial intelligence. They can run the gamut of relatively dumb (ELIZA) to extremely smart (IBM Watson). The smartest chatbots incorporate machine learning i.e. being able to learn without being explicitly programmed to do so.

Above: Jeopardy champion, Ken Jennings is defeated by IBM Watson, a form of AI.

Whereas software programs live on your computer and apps live on your phone, chatbots live in messaging apps like WhatsApp, Slack, and Facebook Messenger. If you’re selling makeup, a chatbot like the one Sephora uses might be able to walk a prospective customer through lipstick colors and styles. If you’re organizing an event, a chatbot might be able to walk a prospective attendee through purchasing a ticket and registering for a session.

Even Uber has found a way to improve their user experience with chatbots. Instead of navigating an app, users can simply click an address messaged to them or tap a button on their messenger UI.