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AI’s next smart move might be scrapping the chatbot

Conversational artificial intelligence simply introduces too much risk and unpredictability

    • Character.ai is one of the most popular consumer AI apps after ChatGPT, with roughly 20 million monthly active users.
    • Character.ai is one of the most popular consumer AI apps after ChatGPT, with roughly 20 million monthly active users. PHOTO: BT FILE
    Published Tue, Nov 11, 2025 · 05:35 PM

    FOR three years, chatbots have been the face of generative artificial intelligence (AI).

    Type anything in them to get a personalised response, which morphs into a seemingly magical dialogue with a machine.

    While that conversational interface may seem the best way to harness large language models, some companies are starting to ditch chatbots, worried about liability and loss of control.