What is a Chatbot? Here are Some Basic Facts and Views.

If you asked someone under 30, “What is a chatbot?” they would probably know the answer. If you asked a senior citizen the same question, they probably wouldn’t be able to help. And neither group might be able to explain it easily.

By the middle of 2026, it is said that 50% of adults in the United States had explored using an AI chatbot to some degree. This is according to the Pew Research Center. And those percentages are growing fast… super-fast.

We’re talking about the technology known as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude (from Anthropic), Copilot (from Microsoft), and Grok (from X, formerly Twitter).

Still, it’s clear that once explored and used, ordinary people discover how extremely useful, powerful, and different a chatbot is compared to anything else we’ve been working toward since personal computers invaded homes in the mid-1980s.

The research shows that 66% of adults are under 30 years old (most of whom are part of Generation Z). Of course, that generation grew up in the digital age. Among those aged 30 to 49 (Gen Y), 61% use chatbots. What about seniors, the Baby Boomers? About one-quarter of users are using a chatbot.

“What is a chatbot? Who cares!”

That means 35% of Gen Z haven’t started using a chatbot yet, and 40% of Gen Y get by without one. Finally, 75% of seniors haven’t started using a chatbot yet. What are they waiting for? Could it be that most non-users aren’t quite sure what a chatbot is?

What is a Chatbot?

What if a grandparent or anyone who’s never explored the technology asked you what a chatbot was? Here are a few ways to answer that question that could help you prepare:

A short Google response might define a chatbot as “a software program designed to simulate human conversation, allowing users to interact with a computer system through text or voice.”
An online dictionary might tell you that it’s “a bot (a computer program) designed to converse with humans.”

Those answers don’t really work, especially if you aren’t all that familiar with chatbots. So maybe this one works:

A chatbot is like a helpful, tireless digital assistant inside a computer. It is programmed to read your questions and instantly provide sensible answers by searching through vast amounts of information.

A Chatbot is a know-it-all in your computer

You might also think of it this way—nobody likes a know-it-all. Someone who has all the answers to every question anyone asks. How annoying, until you need an answer fast and don’t know where to turn.

Well, a chatbot IS that know-it-all! It can answer just about any question you have, offer advice, give you ideas, explain concepts, share statistics, and cover just about every topic there is.

Is a chatbot an app, a computer program, or an online service?

According to Google, it’s all three. The lines between software programs and apps disappeared long ago, likely with the advent of the cloud. You don’t “own” a chatbot like a device or software you install (those days are disappearing); it’s a service you access through an app store on a desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. And what a service it is. Chatbots are a specialized application of AI, powered by advanced computer programs (Large Language Models, or LLMs).

And it can do ALL OF THAT… in seconds. Who doesn’t want that? Turns out, there are plenty of people who fall into that category.

Not everyone wants to deal with Artificial Intelligence or chatbots.

Now, that can seem scary to those who think they’re not ready for that big leap into “futuristic” technology. Maybe it’s because nothing like AI has burst onto the scene so quickly, so completely, and so ubiquitously.

Now there are millions of people who still don’t want to get anywhere near AI, for a variety of reasons, including not understanding the technology or fearing how it’s going to change the world, even though it already has.

The fact is it is dramatically changing the world. More than that, the people who haven’t tried a chatbot have most likely already been using AI for a few years.

It’s not necessarily a generational issue, though that’s part of it. Senior citizens use smartphones and computers just like the rest of us. But remember, not everyone is tech-savvy, and not everyone likes change. There are also those who are very concerned about privacy, security, scams, and fraud, and worry (with good reason) about the negative effects AI might have on them and the world.

Now, many people have already used AI in various forms without realizing it. Anyone who uses Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant for answers to…

Find out what the weather will be today.
Get a recipe for that night’s dinner
Play a song or an album by their favorite group.
Ask an obscure question only a genius or an expert would know.

Well, a chatbot does all that on steroids…and more.

Also, anyone, young or old, who has a health-focused wearable (like a Fitbit or Apple Watch) relies on AI to track and monitor their health, offer advice, or send alerts.

You can set up a chatbot program, such as ChatGPT or others, on a computer or a smartphone, but by far the simplest and maybe the best approach is to rely on a desktop computer. And that’s probably the best way, not just because most people (especially those over a certain age) are more familiar with our computers than with our smartphones.

What is a chatbot? It is technology that is very likely in your future.

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