The future is here. Almost everyone who is active on the internet has “talked” with a bot.

What’s a bot?

Short for robot, but it exists virtually as software. Most people have interacted with a chat bot, which programmed to respond to key words and phrases in a certain way. These bots have come a long way and are now doing much of the customer service chatting on websites like Amazon.

Many of the advances in chat bot technology are extremely beneficial, especially to business owners who can’t respond to every private message right away.

However, like all tools, chat bots are being used for spam. So that Nigerian Prince who says to send him money? He’s probably now a chat bit and can sound pretty convincing.

So how do you know if you’re talking to a chat bot?

Look for wording that seems a little off, like it’s not natural. Customer service bots will often send you to a customer service number to call if your issue isn’t simple to address.

The only time to worry about a chat bot is when they engage you, like in an email or private message. If the conversion feels odd, end it.