This Research Guide discusses artificial intelligence, and specifically chatbots: What they are, how they are seen in the higher-education classroom, and the academic-integrity issues arising from student use of AI tools in the classroom
Khoa Le of Salesforce defines a chatbot by saying, "A chatbot (coined from the term 'chat robot') is a computer program that simulates human conversation either by voice or text communication, and is designed to help solve a problem. Organizations use chatbots to engage with customers alongside the classic customer service channels like phone, email, and social media." (Le, 2022, p. 2)
He goes on to differentiate a special kind of chatbot: one that uses artificial intelligence. He states:
"Artificial intelligence chatbots are programmed to have human-like conversations... to better understand the intent behind what is being said and to respond more intelligently... With AI, the chatbot can interpret the context as it is written, which enables it to operate more or less on its own. In other words, AI chatbot software can understand language outside of pre-programmed commands and provide a response based on existing data. This allows visitors to lead the conversation, and the bot to follow." (Le, 2022, p. 2)
