聊天机器人技术:过去、现在和未来

聊天机器人无处不在. 从在线助手，如 微软的Cortana，到“助手机器人” 像Slack这样的消息传递应用程序到像亚马逊这样的家庭应用.com的Alexa, chatbots have become one of the most visible – and flawed – consumer-facing applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

事实上, the ubiquity of chatbots stems from a broader corporate emphasis on the importance of artificial intelligence. A 最近的文章 《欧博体育app下载》 报道称，科技公司完成了大约21美元.3 billion of AI-related mergers and acquisitions – a figure that doesn’t capture the tens of billions of dollars companies are also spending on internal research and development. 聊天机器人代表了一个特别重要的领域 人工智能应用 因为他们直接与消费者互动.

制造出越来越接近通过图灵测试的聊天机器人, engineers can create better user experiences and drive significant value for a diverse range of companies.

聊天机器人试图解决一个困难的技术问题——即, 如何制造一台能够可靠地模仿人类互动和智能的机器. 这是, 在本质上, 一种所谓的图灵测试, which tests whether a computer (or any other machine) has the ability to display human characteristics and intelligence. 制造出越来越接近通过图灵测试的聊天机器人, engineers can create better user experiences and drive significant value for a diverse range of companies.

到目前为止，聊天机器人要实现这一目标还有很长的路要走. 本文探讨了聊天机器人技术的现状——它是如何开发的, 如何使用, 以及它将如何继续发展. 而聊天机器人才刚刚开始充分发挥其潜力, 它们是一种强大的工具，值得大量关注和投资.

简史:伊莉莎

A brief examination of how chatbots were originally developed and conceived enables a greater understanding of both their fundamental purpose and continued evolution.

Though chatbots are still in their relative infancy technologically, they have existed for decades. 最早的聊天机器人之一， 伊丽莎, was developed in 1966 by computer scientist Joseph Weizenbaum at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Weizenbaum designed 伊丽莎 to mimic human interaction through pattern recognition; 伊丽莎 could not, 然而, 在完整的上下文中响应查询. 而不是, 伊丽莎 had built-in scripts that allowed it to display the illusion of intelligence in answering questions on a given subject, 如 那些与心理评估有关的.

虽然Alexa是伊丽莎的一个巨大飞跃，但聊天机器人尚未充分发挥其潜力.

而伊丽莎的设计只是为了模仿人类的互动, researchers recognized the potential of similar chatbots to provide real value to users in a wide range of contexts. 在接下来的四十年里, engineers would experiment with more helpful chatbot applications and further expand the scope of how chatbots are defined. 虽然Alexa是伊丽莎的一个巨大飞跃，但聊天机器人尚未充分发挥其潜力.

业界观点:埃维诺——人工智能成功的关键在于增加人力资源

The focus on chatbot development is part of a broader push for innovation in artificial intelligence. Aaron Reich，创新和孵化高级总监 Avanade -一家帮助企业数字化的咨询公司, 基于云计算的, and other technology-oriented issues – sees artificial intelligence as a crucial frontier for a range of 企业.

“今天的公司非常关注人工智能. 根据我们的研究, 88%的全球高管认为，公司采用人工智能是因为这是一个热门话题. 然而，大多数人不知道如何使用它，”Reich说. “现在还为时尚早, but we believe AI can be transformative for our clients in how they engage customers and empower their employees if applied in the right ways.”

一些, 企业环境中的人工智能可能意味着更大程度的自动化, 因此对人际交往和员工的需求也会减少. 正如Reich指出的, 然而, artificial intelligence is at its most valuable when it enables greater human-machine collaboration: “The power of AI comes not 100 percent from automation, but how you get humans and machines to work together – how you can augment what a human worker can do to enhance business outcomes.”

Reich continues by noting that organizations should fully consider the complexity that underlies building a chatbot equipped to actually add value. “我们有很多客户来找我们，说他们想要一个聊天机器人, 但我们试着解开这个谜团. 最终目标可能是机器人，但这不是我们想要的起点，”Reich说. 建立一个有效的聊天机器人, 帝国解释说, 一个组织需要足够的数据来让聊天机器人理解, 思考, 对员工和客户的各种情况做出回应.

虽然不是通过笔记本电脑或智能手机与客户互动的传统聊天机器人，”胡椒——交互式的, smart humanoid robot developed by SoftBank Robotics America (SBRA) – stands as one example of a chatbot that has created tangible value for a number of 企业. 在一个示例中(如中所述) 埃维诺的案例研究), 作为金融, 阿尔伯塔的一家银行, engaged Avanade and SBRA to “design and develop a pilot experience where 胡椒 could be placed within designated branches to greet customers, 推荐产品和服务, 做一个简单的金融知识测验,，并通过其他方式提升客户体验.

交互式设计，并配备了ATB的产品知识, 胡椒 provides value to customers both by serving as a friendly interface for answering questions and allowing human ATB employees to deepen customer relationships in other ways. “Albertans who are already familiar with ATB’s exceptionally innovative banking environment are among the first to see how 胡椒 can bring something new, 给他们的零售银行体验带来愉快和丰富的信息,史蒂夫·卡林说, 软银机器人美国公司全球首席战略官.

ATB的客户对胡椒反应积极, 这个机器人在推特上得到了465名用户的542次提及(产生了3次).200万次点击)，以及近30篇独特的新闻报道. 胡椒也在其他各种业务中增加了价值, 包括金融服务业和零售业.

尽管胡椒和其他聊天机器人在某些情况下被证明是有用的, 赖克认为，聊天机器人在充分发挥其潜力之前还有很长的路要走. 具体来说，赖克认为聊天机器人的未来将涉及不同类型的互动.

“I think where we are at for chatbots today… basically we’re interacting with them in the same way as we have for the past 15 to 20 years,赖克说. “大多数时候，当我们输入一些东西时，聊天机器人是不会正确输入的.”

赖克说，展望未来，聊天机器人的互动可能会更多地基于语音识别. 这种聊天机器人被广泛使用的例子包括亚马逊的Alexa, 微软的Cortana, 谷歌的家, 以及苹果的Siri. 仍然, a potential bottleneck remains: “The technology is getting to the point where the chatbot won’t be the barrier, 它将是我们作为人类，如何与技术进行舒适的互动.”

行业观点:代理.ai

Shay Chinn，首席技术官 代理.ai – a technology company creating AI-powered customer service automation software – expresses similar views of the current state of chatbots. 像Alexa、b谷歌Home和Siri这样的虚拟助手“能做的事情非常有限. 他们可以分析你的语言，但这是原始的，”Chinn说. “在很多方面，它们都是高档玩具.”

大多数聊天机器人都比较原始, Chinn说, 因为他们只能对基本的, 大量脚本命令, 比如询问天气或要求播放某首歌. 由于这些限制, 在商业环境中实现聊天机器人的风险很高, 高回报提议. 一方面，聊天机器人可以为客户服务机构节省大量成本. 另一方面, 聊天机器人需要大量的准备工作, data, 以及适当设计和实施的基础设施.

“Maybe we’ll get to the point when chatbots can ask the right questions and fully take over from humans, 但这还有很长的路要走,Chinn说。. “这可能是一个比设计一辆成功的自动驾驶汽车更艰巨的技术挑战.”

正如Chinn解释的那样，聊天机器人在语音识别方面的准确率仍然只有80%左右. 在企业设置中使用时, customers may grow frustrated and simply give up on interacting with a chatbot customer service representative if too many mistakes are made. 这样的错误会对公司的底线和声誉产生真正的负面影响.

Chinn说:“一些公司现在对聊天机器人太过信任了. “这太危险了，除非在非常明确的环境和互动中.”

然而，中国最终看到了聊天机器人的光明未来. 今天，人工智能可以增强人类客户服务代表的能力. In five years, Chinn believes many 企业 will have AI-assisted customer service offered 24/7. 10年后, Chinn说, 人工智能将运行大多数客户服务交互, 只有在最困难的情况下才需要人工干预. 15年后, there may be personalized chatbots and chatbot-to-chatbot communication – human interaction may be so rare that companies may largely cease hiring customer service representatives.

展望未来:一个机器人统治所有机器人?

聊天机器人在充分发挥其潜力之前还有很长的路要走. 仍然, with billions of dollars of annual investment and significant human capital committed to their development, chatbots will ultimately generate significant future value in both corporate and consumer settings.

许多悬而未决的问题仍然存在. 个性化聊天机器人未来将会如何发展? 进一步, there are many companies striving to develop the most advanced chatbot for both consumers and enterprise. 在开发最佳聊天机器人的竞赛中，会有一家公司或产品真正脱颖而出吗? While many chatbots may prove viable, industry consolidation may lead to a single dominant product. 然而，聊天机器人行业的发展, what’s clear is that it will only become more consequential in how 企业 and consumers interact.