Chatbots are software programs that use natural language processing to have conversations with people. Also called conversational agents, they can answer questions, provide recommendations, and complete tasks. Leading companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, and many start-ups, now offer and continue to develop advanced chatbot services powered by large neural networks trained on massive datasets.

Local government opportunities

For local governments, chatbots create exciting opportunities to improve customer service, automate tasks and cut costs. Residents routinely need information on topics like garbage collection, parking permits, construction projects and event schedules. Chatbots can provide 24/7 automated self-service for these frequent citizen inquiries. How would it work? Marc Pfeiffer, Assistant Director of Bloustein Local, at the Center for Urban Policy Research, uses Claude AI to help write two articles on how to best incorporate this new technology.