Definition
A software interface that holds a conversation with users through text, usually in a website widget or a messaging app. Modern chatbots run on large language models and interpret what someone actually wrote, rather than walking them down a scripted decision tree of preset buttons.
What it looks like in practice
At eleven at night, a moving company's website picks up a visitor comparing three movers for a two-bedroom apartment. She opens the chat widget and types a full sentence: moving from a third-floor walk-up to a house across town, second weekend of next month, has a piano. The bot asks the three things the estimator needs anyway: stair count at both ends, approximate box count, and whether elevator reservation is required. It flags the piano as a specialty item that needs a human quote, captures her number, and drops a complete lead into the morning queue. The other two movers get a contact form submission she never sends.
Why it matters
A chat widget earns its place because it catches people at the exact moment they are interested; mid-comparison, before they have decided who to call. The alternative is a contact form they promise themselves they will fill out later. Scripted bots gave the category a bad name by trapping people in menus that never matched the real question, which is why language-model bots matter: they read the sentence you typed. The part to supervise is anything binding. A bot that quotes a price or promises a date you cannot hold hands you a problem to walk back, so pricing and commitments belong behind owner approval.