Conversational Computing

Conversational computing is a style of human-computer interaction where users have a conversation with a computer program via a text or voice chat. Two of the most common types of conversational computing programs are digital assistants like Apple's Siri and chatbots. Conversational computing makes use of natural language processing and artificial intelligence.

Conversational computing involves users interacting with computer programs through voice commands. One of the most common types of conversational computing is the chatbot. Chatbots are increasingly common in customer service for technical support, shopping and booking travel arrangements.

Amazon's Alexa, Microsoft's Cortana and Apple's Siri are examples of digital assistants that respond to voice commands over mobile devices.

Proponents of conversational computing say that it is a new paradigm in interacting with computers, but the concept has been around in science fiction for a long time. The most notable example is the computer interaction in the original "Star Trek" TV series in the 1960s.