Term · AI
Chatbot
A chatbot is a program that holds a conversation with you, usually in a chat window. Some work with fixed answers, others with a language model.
In short
A chatbot is software that answers questions in a conversation, in text or speech. A chatbot with fixed answers chooses from texts that someone wrote in advance. An AI chatbot creates an answer itself with a language model. Since 2 August 2026 it must be clear when someone is talking to AI.
What is a chatbot?
A chatbot is a program that holds a conversation. You type or say something, and the chatbot answers. You see them on websites, in apps and on the phone.
There are two kinds. They look alike, but they work differently.
How does a chatbot work?
Chatbot with fixed answers
This chatbot looks for familiar words in your question, or lets you choose from buttons. It then gives an answer that someone wrote in advance. That is predictable: it only says what has been put in. If you ask a question that is not in it, the conversation gets stuck.
Chatbot with a language model
An AI chatbot uses a language model. That creates a new answer in plain language for each question. This lets it handle more kinds of questions. The risk is that it makes up an answer that is not correct. That is why you often have it search your own information first, with RAG.
A chatbot usually talks to customers. An AI assistant mainly helps your own team. And an AI agent also carries out tasks itself.
Example in an SME
A made-up example
A trailer rental company often gets the same questions: about opening hours, the deposit and cancelling. A chatbot on the website answers those questions from the company's own terms and conditions. If it is about damage or a complaint, it gives the customer a way to speak to an employee.
What should you watch for?
- Say that it is a chatbot. Under the EU AI Act, since 2 August 2026 it must be clear that someone is talking to an AI system.
- Keep a person reachable. The Dutch competition and consumer authority (ACM) and the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) ask organisations to give customers the option to speak to an employee.
- Test the answers. Try out the chatbot in advance with questions that customers ask, and keep an eye on it afterwards.
- Personal data. Customers sometimes type private details into the chat. Arrange who can access them and how long you keep them.
Do customer questions stay unanswered for too long at your business? Then read Customer questions are left waiting. I build a chatbot that works with your own information as a bespoke solution. Read more about AI in your business.
Frequently asked questions
Is every chatbot AI?
No. A chatbot with fixed answers follows rules that someone made in advance. Only when there is an AI model in it, such as a language model, do you speak of an AI chatbot.
Do I have to say that my chatbot is not a person?
Yes. Since 2 August 2026, under the EU AI Act it must be clear that someone is talking to an AI system, unless that is already obvious. That obligation lies with the maker of the chatbot. The ACM and the AP also ask it of organisations that deploy a chatbot. Put it at the top of the chat window, for example.
Can a chatbot replace an employee?
For simple questions that come up often, a chatbot can take over work. For difficult questions and complaints, an employee is still needed. The ACM and the AP ask that human contact stays reachable.
Sources: the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens): AI transparency requirements apply from 2 August (in Dutch), Call from the ACM and AP on AI chatbots (in Dutch) and European Commission: AI Act. Consulted on 7 October 2026.
Written by Bart van Engelenhoven Founder of Uniekaiconsultancy in Ede, the Netherlands. Bart analyses how SMEs work and builds software, integrations and AI applications himself. Last updated: 7 October 2026
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