Analysis of the Chatbot Industry Development: The Ultimate Goal of AIGC is to Liberate Productivity
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What is the current state of the chatbot industry? Chatbots are computer programs that engage in conversations via dialogue or text, capable of simulating human conversation and passing the Turing test. Chatbots can be used for practical purposes such as customer service or information retrieval. Some chatbots are equipped with natural language processing systems, but most simple systems only extract keywords from the input and find the most suitable responses from a database. Chatbots are part of virtual assistants (like Google Assistant) and can connect with applications, websites, and instant messaging platforms of many organizations. Non-assistant applications include chatrooms for entertainment, research, and specific product promotions, as well as social robots.
The success of chatbots lies in developers incorporating a vast array of popular internet slang into their lexicons. When the phrases or sentences you send are recognized by the lexicon, the program will reply with pre-set responses through algorithms. The richness of the lexicon and the speed of responses are crucial factors in determining whether a chatbot will be popular. Repetitive answers won't win public favor, and overly formal language won't resonate with people. Additionally, as long as the program is running, chatbots are available 24/7, making them incredibly considerate.
Chatbots are widely used on instant messaging platforms such as Facebook Messenger, WeChat, LINE, and Kik for entertainment, retail marketing, and customer service. Moreover, instant messaging platforms provide easily integrable webhooks, allowing third-party developers to create chatbots that work across different messaging platforms. These software bots appear as customer service representatives or members of group chats. Some messaging bots can connect to external databases to provide users with news, weather, navigation, movie schedules, stock prices, and other information. Companies like Domino's, Pizza Hut, Disney, Nerdify, Yamato Line, and Whole Foods have launched their own chatbots to enhance communication with end consumers, promote their products and services, and make ordering more convenient for customers.
Chatbot Industry Current State and Competitive Landscape Analysis
Chatbots are rapidly expanding beyond customer support to drive growth across all stages of the customer lifecycle. In fact, sales is now the most common use case (41%), followed by support (37%) and marketing (17%). In 2019, China's service robot market size was approximately $2.2 billion, a year-on-year increase of 33.33%, higher than the global service robot market growth rate, accounting for about 23% of the global market.
Looking further, the underlying logic of ChatGPT applications is powerful data processing capabilities and massive data storage. Most enterprises generate related applications based on their own databases, suitable for fixed scenarios and fixed dialogues. Without massive data support, it is difficult to transition from "artificial stupidity" to "artificial intelligence." Additionally, the completeness of relevant laws and the computational power of chips need further improvement.
Currently, ChatGPT's practical applications are primarily in search engines and intelligent marketing, where it integrates information from online platforms to facilitate user information retrieval. For example, incorporating ChatGPT into search engines can introduce conversational search modes. While ChatGPT isn't expected to rapidly displace jobs, its ability to generate responses automatically during conversations, coupled with its intelligence and self-learning capabilities, means it can replace certain human tasks. These include customer service inquiries, smart home control, and repetitive tasks for knowledge workers, such as product recommendations, video scripting, or assisting programmers in debugging code. This efficiency could potentially reduce workweeks to four or even three days, alleviating the workload for professionals in various fields.
Against the backdrop of a promising chatbot market, numerous developers globally are securing funding and expanding into sectors like travel, healthcare, and aviation. For instance, Chinese company Laiye Technology raised $35 million in a Series B+ round in 2019, actively deploying chatbots in the travel and food delivery industries.
ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI and launched on November 30, 2022, is an AI-driven natural language processing tool. It learns and understands human language to engage in conversations, interact contextually, and perform tasks like writing emails, scripts, translations, and coding, mimicking human-like communication.
On March 21, 2023, Google officially opened its Bard AI chatbot for user testing. In May, TikTok tested a ChatGPT-like AI chatbot named Tako in select markets. Positioned at the top right of the TikTok screen, Tako allows users to interact via a messaging interface, offering responses and personalized content recommendations based on user preferences.
Recently, reports indicate that ByteDance is developing an open platform for users to create their own chatbots, racing to catch the generative AI wave. An internal memo revealed that the "Bot Development Platform" will launch as a public beta by the end of the month.
Future Prospects for the Chatbot Industry
In the financial sector, AI is currently digitizing financial services, with future advancements expected to integrate technologies like 5G and IoT, ushering in a new era of digital finance. However, this transition will take time. AIGC (AI-generated content) may become a foundational technology, expanding into more fields as costs decrease and technology advances. The ultimate goal of AIGC is to enhance productivity, generate economic benefits, and benefit society at large.