Chapter 1 Introducing Chatbots in Libraries Abstract output.”3 The process of searching databases or cat- alogs usually requires the user to compose a search Chapter 1 of Library Technology Reports (vol. 49, no. for the information needed, conforming to the struc- 8), “Streamlining Information Services Using Chatbots,” tures and language defined by the target data source. presents a brief history of chatbots, computer programs A chatbot using NLP, on the other hand, allows users that use natural language to interact with users. They have to pose a question as they would to another human existed for nearly fifty years and have been used in librar- being. The responsibility of locating the needed infor- ies since the mid-2000s; chatbots from ELIZA (1966) to mation shifts from the user to the programmer of the Pixel (2010) are introduced. chatbot. The chatbot designer creates a structure that leads the user through a question-and-answer dialogue s many libraries continue to see reductions in to discover the information needed and to provide it. ReportsLibrary Technology funding, we are increasingly seeing technology This process can also address the problems created by Aas a way to make up for budget shortfalls. In library terminology or jargon with which the user may the circulation context, online patron account man- not be familiar. In addition, regular review of the chat- agement, self-registration, and self-serve checkout bot’s conversation logs allows the designer to moni- stations are examples of this trend. Since requests for tor the types of questions and the terminology used basic library information (including locations, hours, to pose them and to update the responses provided by and policies) and for specific materials or resources the chatbot and the language it recognizes. This is why predominate among chat and IM inquiries of librar- the chatbot can be particularly convenient and helpful 1 ies, “chatbots” or “virtual agents” offer a self-service to those patrons who are least familiar with the library option for our online customers in the context of infor- and its services. alatechsource.org mation services. Such virtual agents are becoming a familiar feature • Chatbots are also consistently patient and polite on many websites. These user-friendly implementations and remain unruffled by rude customers, high of artificial intelligence have enjoyed remarkable suc- traffic, or repeated requests for the same informa- cess in corporate and government sectors and are pro- tion. In a discussion of chatbots, Christansen sug- November/December 2013 November/December jected to continue to grow in popularity. Indeed, a Vir- gests that chatbots: tuOz/CCM Benchmark Group study projects a “400% • were selected more frequently than other forms increase in virtual agents between 2011 and 2014.”2 of digital reference Chatbots are able to respond to a remarkable vari- • made asking questions easier (by providing a ety of customer inquiries with correct information spe- natural language interface) cifically tailored to the customer’s needs through the • provided instant responses use of natural language processing (NLP). Warschauer • were anonymous (which encouraged shy users and Healy define NLP as “the process of a computer or those who thought their questions might be extracting meaningful information from natural lan- “stupid”) guage input and/or producing natural language • provided a marketing tool for reference services4 5 Streamlining Information Services Using Chatbots Michele L. McNeal and David Newyear Christiansen’s final observation is particularly M-5 (if you’re a Star Trek fan), Cybermen, and noteworthy. If we enhance our bot with links to our Daleks (if you’re a Doctor Who fan). Stories of intel- various resources (including our staff directory, our ligent automatons can be traced back to antiquity: catalog, and our online databases and reference tools), Galatea, the Automata of Al-Jazari, the Prague we can introduce our customers to our whole gamut of Golem, and others; AI has been, and will likely useful resources. remain, a staple theme in science fiction and film. In addition, chatbots offer the ability to person- In reality, AI is a wide and diverse field with many alize the user experience, welcoming patrons and subfields, ranging from the creation of machine putting them at ease. This is highlighted in a SitePal intelligence that equals or surpasses human intel- case study, which documented a 40 percent increase ligence to problem solving, natural language pro- in sales at a company that incorporated a chatbot to cessing, machine perception and learning, robotics, welcome users to its website and guide them through etc. There is a trend today for researchers in AI to its broad inventory of products.5 Library websites are call their work by other names, such as cognitive sys- notoriously confusing due to the vast and potentially tems or knowledge-based systems or computational intel- confounding amount and variety of information they ligence. This may serve to distinguish their own field provide. Chatbots can simplify our patrons’ access to from the rest of AI or to avoid being viewed as wild- and navigation of our sites by making it unnecessary eyed dreamers. At times, AI has made overly ambi- for them to hunt around for information. A well-con- tious and optimistic claims, a failing that continues structed chatbot will respond to patrons’ initial inqui- to haunt those in this field. ries with the information they need, take them to the While there are attempts to replicate the human resource or service they require, or provide them with brain and body, most AI has less ambitious goals; it’s the appropriate contact. really about making computers or machines do things Chatbots can also ease the burden of basic or that human beings already do, things like recognizing routine questions so that library staff can focus their speech, driving cars, translating languages, controlling attention on more demanding inquiries and duties. the temperature in houses, or even removing the bone Another SitePal case study found that introducing an from a ham. AI is used in aviation, finance, hospitals avatar to its website allowed a company to familiarize and medicine, heavy industry, customer service, and its customers with its offerings, leading to a 50 percent on the Web. increase in productivity of its human sales staff, who Because AI is often used in subtle ways, it can be found that the questions they received after customers hard to recognize, even though many of us use some interacted with the chatbot were much more informed form of it every day. There is a tendency for AI to lose and focused than before.6 In addition to improving the label “AI” after it goes mainstream. Technological productivity and handling a portion of routine ques- tools in your home, like your DVR, washing machine, tions, chatbots can also help fill voids left by budget and thermostat, aren’t AI or robots (one exception being cuts or redeployment of staff. They can be installed the Roomba). They’re smarter, or easier to use, or just simultaneously in multiple locations and environments better. The thermostat is better at keeping your home (website, desk-side kiosk, library computer desktops) comfortable. Websites are getting better at recommend- and provide backup information services when a pub- ing things you like based on your search habits and can lic service desk is unstaffed or thinly covered. Also, do helpful things like translate web pages to English. 24/7 availability allows users to immediately access This report deals with a few specific applications November/December 2013 November/December library services at their convenience, even when the of AI—natural language processing and conversational library is closed. user interfaces, commonly known as chatbots. To give While a chatbot cannot replicate the complexity of you a better understanding of where these fit in AI in a human interaction, it can provide a cost-effective way general, let’s look at a few basic ideas in the AI world. to answer routine questions and direct users to addi- tional services. “If we use Virtual Agents to enhance and alatechsource.org Strong versus Weak AI streamline our information services, and as a marketing tool for both our traditional reference services and our online resources, we can reap the benefits of this tech- Artificial intelligence is often classified as “strong” nology and, at the same time, position our professional or “weak.” Strong AI is also called “artificial general librarians to provide those value-added services to our intelligence.” Strong AI may be defined as machine users at which they alone can excel.”7 intelligence that matches or exceeds human intelli- gence. A computer with strong AI could perform any intellectual task that a human being could. It’s asso- What Is Artificial Intelligence? ciated with human traits such as self-awareness and Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology consciousness. This is the type of AI that’s common in The term artificial intelligence tends to evoke less- science fiction and is often the topic of discussion for than-pleasant images: Terminator, Skynet, HAL, futurists like Ray Kurzweil. 6 Streamlining Information Services Using Chatbots Michele L. McNeal and David Newyear Weak AI is also known as “applied” or “narrow” automated program cannot understand.11 CAPTCHAs AI. Weak AI is the use of software to study or accom- are intended to keep bots and other automated pro- plish specific tasks, like sweeping floors, driving cars, grams from signing up for e-mail addresses, violating or understanding natural language. Chatbots and NLP privacy, cracking passwords, or sending spam e-mail. fall within this division. In fact, library chatbots can be considered a narrow application of an already narrow application, as their purpose is to assist with the use of The Loebner Prize library resources and not to chat at length about any possible topic.