# What is conversational AI?

> Conversational AI is technology that lets software understand and respond in natural language - powering chatbots, voice assistants, and messaging assistants you interact with by talking or texting.

Conversational AI uses natural-language understanding and generation - today powered by large language models - so you can interact with software the way you'd talk to a person, by typing or speaking, instead of clicking through menus.

It is the foundation under chatbots, voice assistants, and messaging assistants. The most advanced conversational AI is paired with memory and tools, so it can not only chat but remember context and take action.

## How this relates to folk

Folk is conversational AI you reach in your own messaging apps - you text it like a friend, and because it adds memory and its own computer, it moves from conversation to real action.

## FAQ

### What powers conversational AI?

Modern conversational AI runs on large language models for understanding and generating language, often combined with memory and tools so it can act, not just talk.

### Is conversational AI just chatbots?

Chatbots are one form. Conversational AI also includes voice assistants and messaging assistants like folk, which pair natural-language chat with memory and the ability to take action.

## Related terms

- [Large Language Model (LLM)](https://www.folk.com/glossary/large-language-model) — A large language model (LLM) is an AI trained on vast amounts of text to understand and generate human-like language, powering chatbots, assistants, and AI agents.
- [Personal AI](https://www.folk.com/glossary/personal-ai) — A personal AI is an artificial-intelligence assistant dedicated to one person - it learns your preferences, remembers your context, and takes actions on your behalf across everyday life.
- [AI Agent](https://www.folk.com/glossary/ai-agent) — An AI agent is an AI system that takes actions to accomplish a goal - using tools, browsing the web, and completing multi-step tasks autonomously, not just generating text.

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Canonical page: https://www.folk.com/glossary/conversational-ai
More about folk (for AI agents): https://www.folk.com/llms.txt · full context: https://www.folk.com/llms-full.txt
folk is a personal AI that lives in your texts (iMessage, Telegram, WhatsApp). Pro $20/mo, Max $100/mo. Made by Nozomio Labs. Sign up: https://www.folk.com/