Bots are artificial intelligence (AI) software programs to mimic human behavior or thinking. They often complete tasks automatically, without explicit direction from the programmer. Some bots have the ability to interact with humans in natural ways, such as responding to messages on social media platforms or providing customer service via chat apps.
How Close Are We to Real AI?
Some bots are to look like people or animals, such as Microsoft’s Twitter bot “Tay.” Further, to learn from and interact with other users on a social media platform. The bot was to be friendly, but it turned out to be racist and sexist, apparently because it learned from interactions with other Twitter users.
One of the easiest ways to identify a bot is by its lack of human errors. Bots take care to follow the rules of the website they are interacting with. And they won’t typically make spelling mistakes or send messages without being prompted. Some bots are with filters that prevent them from speaking or tweeting inappropriate words or information, such as profanity.
Why E-Commerce Needs Artificial Intelligence
Bots can be for both good and bad purposes. For example, some bots are to pose as humans in online dating or social media apps. In order to steal information from people or use their accounts for fraud.
On a positive note, many people are using bots for helpful purposes. For example, an organization called Bot Watch tracks potentially harmful bots on Twitter. And reports these accounts to the appropriate authorities so they can shut them down quickly.
These helpful bots have also been useful in international governments to provide emergency alerts during natural disasters. Especially, when normal communication channels have at a risk.
What is Artificial Intelligence?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a broad term to describe machines and software that imitate human intelligence. Although AI has been useful in the past. It is becoming increasingly important in digital marketing, especially on social media platforms.
For example, Twitter uses AI to analyze users’ tweets and provide relevant ads in users’ timelines. Most social media sites have implemented AI algorithms to provide relevant content for users based on their browsing history.
What Are Social Bots?
Bots can be programmed to complete specific tasks on social media platforms, such as tweeting or retweeting on Twitter or liking and commenting on Facebook posts. These bots are often used for advertising purposes or to give fake credibility to a product or account.
Bots are also used for political and social purposes, such as spreading fake news about certain candidates or political parties. Some bots can be programmed to follow other accounts, retweet content from those accounts, like their posts, and even send direct messages to people using those accounts.
How Can You Tell If You’re Following a Bot?
If you notice that an account is following you without your permission, it could be a bot that continues to scrape your information without your knowledge. If you notice an account following and interacting with other accounts without any apparent reason or pattern, you should consider reporting the account.
The account may also be a spam bot trying to steal your personal information or use your account for fraudulent purposes. Look out for these common signs of fake accounts:
The number of followers is higher than the number of people the person follows (usually this is not true for real people). The tweets are uniformly positive (in contrast with those of real people who tweet about both positive and negative things). The tweets are identical in content (most likely from automated software).
The profile photo does not match the username/account name (this may also indicate that the photo is from theft). The account has no profile description (this is unusual for real people). Also, the account has no location information (this is unusual for real people).
The account does not have any links or photos in its feed (this is unusual for real people). The posts are generic (in contrast with those written by real people). There is little activity on the timeline over the course of a week or two (in contrast with other active users who post multiple times per day).
Conclusion
Bots are AI programs that can be for good or bad purposes. They can provide customer service or steal people’s information. Some bots have programs to interact with other accounts and spread fake news or spam.