Chatbots of the future will mark exams and deliver learning programmes
Chatbots of the future will mark exams and deliver learning programmes, attendees at a Dublin event on chatbots were told.
Organised by the Learnovate Centre, ‘Chatbots for Workplace Learning’ was held at co-working space Huckletree and saw a panel of experts in the field explore the opportunities and experiences of using chatbots.
Chatbot technology varies hugely in complexity; it can run from a simple question and answer system to a conversational AI that interprets and predicts user needs. While they are primarily used in retail and consumer services sectors, the event told of opportunities for early adopters in the edtech, human resources, health and other sectors.
“The benefits for the education sector are endless,” said keynote speaker Conor Kostick, CMO, SnatchBot and founder of Chatbot Creations. “Chatbots could be used to administer and correct tests – and give instant results. They could also be vital for workplace learning, where entire learning programmes can be delivered by chatbots.”
Kostick said that while many universities are piloting chatbots, lecturers are pushing the change, not management.
“It is a bit like when websites were initially created; there were early adopters who were quick to see the return on investment when they went online,” he said. “Now, every business has a website and you couldn’t imagine having a business without one. In ten years’ time, every business will be using chatbots.”
Kostick turned to the example of HR. He told attendees how a “HR department has to devise multiple policies that they need to communicate with each new hire – usually in the form of a large welcome pack.” Instead, he posits how much more “interesting, helpful and engaging would it be to put all this information into a chatbot when onboarding new staff as well as when delivering programmes on GDPR and other issues?”
However, Kostick dismisses fears that artificial intelligence will replace human workers. “It is about freeing humans up from doing the monotonous, boring work to do the tasks that AI can’t and the ones that humans are trained and experienced in doing – there are a lot of savings to be made in a lot of industries by doing this.”
In the Finnish health sector, chatbots make appointments and carry out admin work, which Kostick said allows health professionals to “spend time doing what they are best at.”
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