Chatbot Development

Chatbot development is the process of designing, building, and deploying computer programs that simulate human conversation through text or voice. As a discipline within Software Engineering and Computer Science, it applies principles of Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand user intent and often leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to create dynamic, context-aware interactions. The practice ranges from creating simple, rule-based bots to engineering complex virtual assistants, and involves designing dialogue flows, managing conversation states, and integrating the chatbot into platforms like websites, mobile apps, and messaging services.

1. Introduction to Chatbots
   1. Defining Chatbots
      1. Core Characteristics
      2. Functional Components
      3. Interaction Modalities
   2. Differences from Traditional Software
      1. Conversational Interface
      2. Context Awareness
      3. Natural Language Processing
   3. Historical Evolution
      1. ELIZA and Early Systems
      2. Rule-Based Era
      3. Statistical Methods Period
      4. Neural Network Revolution
      5. Large Language Model Era
   4. Key Terminology
      1. Conversational AI
      2. Virtual Assistant
      3. Dialogue System
      4. Chatbot vs Bot
      5. Agent vs Assistant
   5. Types of Chatbots
      1. Rule-Based Chatbots
         1. Pattern Matching Systems
         2. Decision Tree Bots
         3. Keyword-Based Systems
      2. AI-Powered Chatbots
         1. Machine Learning Based
         2. Deep Learning Based
         3. Transformer-Based
      3. Hybrid Systems
         1. Rule-AI Combinations
         2. Fallback Mechanisms
   6. Application Domains
      1. Customer Service
      2. E-commerce
      3. Healthcare
      4. Education
      5. Entertainment
      6. Internal Operations