Why Chatbots Will Not Replace Humans?

The rapid rise of technology has seen the development of tools such as chatbots that appear to be able to do everything from assisting with customer service inquiries to providing medical advice. While these tools are useful and can in many ways be advantageous, it does not appear that they may ever entirely replace the need for human interaction. 

Photo by Emiliano Vittoriosi on Unsplash

First and foremost, chatbots, no matter how advanced their programming, cannot think on their own, nor can they adapt to the hundreds of cues that people are throwing off in any given moment. They rely on what is programmed by their developers, and while they can function more or less effectively in a range of tasks, they lack the versatility that comes with human input.

The human brain is a remarkable piece of machinery and its ability to deduce context, meaning and imperceptible nuances in conversations would be nearly impossible to replicate with a chatbot. Humans can quickly adapt to a situation and infer the best way to respond. Chatbots cannot possess the same genius and will likely never be able to do so.

Humans are also far better at creative and emotionally connecting with the people we interact with. Chatbots may be able to answer simple questions but when it comes to empathizing and understanding people’s feelings in a difficult situation, they are not very adept. Additionally, humans can critically think, interpret and draw conclusions in a way which chatbots cannot.

Furthermore, the reliability of the information which chatbots provide can sometimes be questioned. As their programming can be glitchy, the manner in which chatbots communicate can be very awkward, clunky and at times even painfully robotic. After a few short exchanges, it can become immediately clear that it is not a human interaction.

Whilst chatbots can be a very useful tool, it is likely that they will never completely replace humans. Machines cannot come close to replicating the complexity of human interaction and communication, and humans will likely always be the preferred choice for customer service, medical advice and other inquiries.