The difference between an AI Assistant and Chatbot is mainly tied to the way in which they handle inputs. An AI Assistant may leverage AI technology in the form of conversational AI to interpret queries. With the ability to understand natural language and using technology such as retrieval augmented generation (RAG), an AI Assistant for work can deliver more intelligent answers to employee questions including relevant recommendations, summarized data points from multiple sources, or prompting employees for more information if an intent is understood but the response cannot be fulfilled. Using inputs and sources such as websites, databases, APIs, and documents to learn, an AI Assistant not only improves over time but is also able to cover a wider range of topics and information quickly to provide the best possible response. 

In contrast, rule-based chatbots rely on keywords and other language identifiers to trigger pre-written responses. This means there is a limit to what they can both understand and respond to, as well as manual and continual maintenance to remain up-to-date and effective.

Explore more about how conversational AI is revolutionizing the employee experience.