What is a Chatbot?

A Chatbot is an AI application that interacts with users via conversation. The web interfaces of ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are all chatbots, with LLMs underneath. The chatbot concept actually predates LLMs by decades β€” ELIZA in the 1960s qualifies β€” but early systems used hand-written rules. Modern chatbots feel like real conversational partners only because of LLMs.

Chatbot vs AI Agent is a commonly confused distinction:

  • Chatbot: pure conversation, text in β†’ text out
  • AI Agent: actively uses tools, executes multi-step actions, completes tasks autonomously

Real example: J, Mimi, and Lily on our Telegram look like chatbots on the surface (you type, they reply), but once tool use is wired in (executing bash, writing files, sending TGs, hitting APIs), they upgrade to agents. The chatbot-to-agent evolution is the defining trend of AI products from 2024 to 2026.