Separating Fact from Fiction: Busting Common Conversational AI Myths

Conversational AI is a powerful tool for businesses looking to create next-level user experiences.

Like most disruptive technologies, there are many misconceptions that have emerged and that’s why we’re here to debunk common Conversational AI myths to help you make better informed decisions when it comes to voice-based technology.

Myth: Conversational AI is just a fancy chatbot

Conversational AI and chatbots are NOT the same (as we determined in our previous blog post). A chatbot is a software or computer program that is used to conduct an online chat conversation via text or text-to-speech and allows humans to interact with digital applications online. Chatbots generally work well from a customer service perspective as they can provide information about a product or service, answer FAQs or book appointments.

Conversational AI is a much more advanced set of technologies that allows people to communicate with applications, websites or devices in a human-like manner. It can be trained to be used for any purpose and because it uses technologies such as Natural Language Processing (NLP), Natural Language Understanding (NLU) and Machine Learning (ML), it has the ability to understand emotions and intent, allowing more complex conversations.

Myth: Conversational AI will take away jobs

There is so much discussion about what role AI has in the future and whether it’s going to replace human jobs. Put simply, rather than removing jobs, Conversational AI often reshapes them.

By helping to automate or speed up certain repetitive tasks, such as site logs or issue reporting, workers are able to free up their valuable time to focus on other non-repetitive tasks that can’t be automated. This enhances efficiency, productivity and wellbeing, and is cost effective because more work is being done as a result. 

Myth: Conversational AI puts privacy and data at risk

A common concern around Conversational AI is privacy and data security. People assume they are constantly being recorded or their conversations are being stored for purposes other than what the Conversational AI tool is being used for.

Interacting with Conversational AI tools can actually allow businesses to collect data in a more secure way, since you don’t need to share personal information such as pin numbers or security codes that may be required when using certain devices or software. Plus, white conversations may be recorded for training purposes, this is always clearly communicated beforehand, so you know where your data is going and how it’s being used. 

By using reputable providers, you can have the peace of mind of knowing your data is protected and safe, since vendors have strict protocols to follow which ensures that any sensitive data is kept confidential and secure. 

Myth: Conversational AI is expensive

Conversational AI is often deemed to be expensive and out of budget for smaller companies, which is simply not true. Especially when you consider long-term value and the business benefits that are on offer with Conversational AI tools.

Maintaining legacy systems can actually end up being more costly and risky for businesses, since they often haven’t been updated for years, and end up being slow and clunky to use, frustrating workers that have to interact with them on a daily basis. So whilst they may be cheap to set up, maintaining them can be extremely expensive. 

Conversational AI systems, however, are built for the modern consumer. They focus on providing great user experiences, automating processes and driving productivity, meaning they directly align with business goals. Plus, since they automate routine tasks, your workers can focus on other jobs, giving you more bang for your buck.

Myth: Conversational AI is complex and not user-friendly

We often hear Conversational AI is complex and not built with users in mind, however this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Legacy systems generally require a substantial amount of data to set them up and then a lot of training is needed to learn how to use them. This results in valuable time being spent getting started and learning processes, rather than doing the work. Smart Conversational AI tools are usually low code and can be integrated into your existing processes, meaning there is minimal training and upfront data required to start using them. 

Conversational AI is also built to enhance user experiences and improve data quality, since it has the ability to understand context, recognise ‘real’ speech (rather than requiring robotic, unnatural scripts), and can gather more information in one go.

Looking ahead

Conversational AI can seem like a scary tool when people are unfamiliar with how it works and what its role is. By taking the time to understand how it can support and enhance business processes, and the value it brings, you can feel confident in determining whether it is the right solution for your organisation. 

At Wluper, we are working on ​​unique voice-based Conversational AI technology, giving you access to a powerful voice and language understanding solution on any device. Using advanced NLU, we allow users to speak more naturally than ever before. No scripts or patterns, simply speak as you normally would and our voice-based technology will understand. 

Learn more about our TrueUnderstanding™ API or book a live demo to see Wluper in action.

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