A chatbot is a computer program that sends messages back to a person as if it were having a conversation. You type or speak; it answers.

A chatbot chatbot is a computer program是一種電腦程式 that sends messages back to a person會回訊息給人 as if it were having a conversation好像在跟你聊天一樣。You type or speak你打字或說話；it answers它就回答。

Early chatbots were quite simple: they spotted a few words and gave ready-made replies, more like a trick than a talk. The same word now covers much smarter programs that can answer questions, help you shop, or sit in the corner of a company website.

Early chatbots早期的chatbot were quite simple很簡單：they spotted a few words它們抓幾個關鍵字 and gave ready-made replies就給現成的回覆，more like a trick than a talk比較像在耍花招而不是真的對話。The same word同一個字 now covers現在也涵蓋 much smarter programs聰明得多的程式 that can answer questions可以回答問題、help you shop幫你買東西、or sit in the corner of a company website或待在公司網站的一角。

People also stretch it to voice assistants that talk out loud. The word is everyday tech talk, not fancy. “Bot” can sound a bit cheap or fake, so some companies prefer “AI assistant” when they want to sound serious.

People人們 also stretch it也把這個字延伸用 to voice assistants that talk out loud到會開口說話的語音助理上。The word這個字 is everyday tech talk是日常科技用語，not fancy不是什麼高深的詞。“Bot”「Bot」 can sound a bit cheap or fake聽起來可能有點廉價或假假的，so所以 some companies有些公司 prefer寧願 “AI assistant”用「AI assistant」 when they want to sound serious當他們想聽起來正式一點的時候。

Though actually, a chatbot does not understand you the way a friend does; it follows code or a model. ChatGPT and tools like it are chatbots in this sense, even when they also write essays or code — ChatGPT is a famous example, not the name of the whole idea.

Though actually不過事實上，a chatbot chatbot does not understand you並不真的懂你 the way a friend does像朋友那樣；it follows它只是照著 code or a model程式碼或模型走。ChatGPT and tools like it ChatGPT和類似的工具 are chatbots in this sense在這個意義上都是chatbot，even when even連它們 they also write essays or code也會寫文章或寫程式碼時也是——ChatGPT is a famous example ChatGPT只是個有名的例子，not the name of the whole idea不是這整個概念的名字。