Commercial and Public Service Chatbots: technical and legal issues

A chatbot is a computer program that through the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning is able to simulate a human conversation. The present dissertation examines the technical and legal framework of chatbot technology applied in the commercial and public sector. A historical and evolutionary introduction on the subject and the interest it elicits in society is given, with a discussion on its classification and design. The adoption of chatbots in commercial service is examined with the focus on their impact in customer care and customer service, and to the issue of privacy and data protection legislation with reference to GDPR compliance. The recent endorsement of chatbots in the public sector is analyzed in relation to the changes made at the state level by the governments and public agents’ implementation of chatbots as a means of providing public services.