Quick Answer: A chatbot is a software application or web interface that converses through text or speech. Modern chatbots are typically online and use generative artificial intelligence systems that are capable of maintaining a conversation with a user in natural language and simulating the way a human would behave as a conversational partner. Such chatbots often use deep learning and natural language processing. Simpler chatbots have existed for decades. Chatbots have gained popularity with the release of ChatGPT in 2022, followed by competitors such as Gemini, Claude, and Grok, in what is labelled an AI boom. AI chatbots typically use fine-tuned large language models to generate text. A major area where chatbots have long been used is customer service and support, with various sorts of virtual assistants.