As we have all experienced, chatbots are now an essential part of the customer service in most companies – providing quick, convenient, and personalized support to people across various channels. However, most chatbots are still limited by their language capabilities, especially when it comes to non-English languages. Hindi for example, has over 571 million speakers, mostly in India. And very few chatbots are yet fluent in Hindi.
For my readers who need an introduction to LLMs, here’s a brief one: LLMs are a type of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that can process and understand human languages using neural network techniques and self-supervised learning. LLMs can handle a wide range of tasks, such as text generation, machine translation, summary writing, image generation from texts, machine coding, chatbots, and conversational AI.
One of the most promising applications of LLMs is in the field of customer service chatbots, especially for languages that are underrepresented in the current chatbot landscape, such as Hindi. Firms like Bhashini, OpenHathi, and Krutim are now paving the way for LLMs in the Hindi language.
Let's discuss the possibilities in more detail.
Multilingual Capabilities Using NLP Techniques
LLMs leverage advanced NLP techniques to comprehend the intricacies of Hindi and other Indian languages. For instance, by employing word embeddings and language models, these chatbots can understand the context, sentiment, and intent behind user queries. This enables them to respond accurately, addressing user concerns in a language that resonates with the users' cultural and linguistic preferences.
Generative AI for Natural and Engaging Conversations
Generative AI in LLMs enables chatbots to produce responses that mimic human-like conversation. By analyzing vast amounts of text data, these models can generate contextually relevant and coherent responses. To illustrate, if a user inquires about product specifications, the chatbot can generate detailed and informative replies, creating a conversational experience that feels more personalized and engaging. You could, for example, ask which is the best birthday gift for your five-year-old daughter – and the chatbot will give a range of options, from birthday cakes to craft kits.
Handling Complex Queries and Tasks
LLMs empower chatbots to handle complex queries and tasks seamlessly. Consider a scenario where a user asks for travel recommendations for the summer holidays (within India) – the chatbot can analyze the user’s preferences, budget constraints, and past travel history to suggest personalized travel options. Say the user has traveled to the hill stations Dehradun and Shillong before; based on that information, the chatbot can recommend the next travel destination as a choice between Ladakh, Mussoorie and Darjeeling.
Moreover, these models can facilitate transactions like hotel bookings or payment processing, showcasing a robust problem-solving and task-execution capability in customer service-driven scenarios.
- Product Recommendations: LLM-powered chatbots can analyze user preferences, purchase history, and real-time trends to offer personalized product recommendations. For instance, if you have expressed interest in going to a wedding reception, the chatbot can intelligently suggest relevant items, including lehengas, dupattas, and jewelry – thereby creating a tailored shopping experience.
- Bookings and Reservations: When users inquire about booking services like hotels or flights, LLM-driven chatbots can navigate through available options, consider user preferences, and seamlessly facilitate the booking process. For example, if the user tends to fly economy class, then the chatbot can recommend the best airfares. This ensures a smooth and efficient transaction, enhancing the overall customer experience.
- Payment Processing: LLMs enable chatbots to handle complex payment-related queries, such as providing information on payment methods (credit card vs debit for example), guiding users through transaction processes, and addressing payment-related concerns (like credit limit). This capability contributes to a secure and user-friendly financial interaction within the chatbot interface.
- Feedback Collection: Chatbots equipped with LLMs can effectively gather user feedback by engaging in dynamic conversations. For example, after a transaction or service interaction, the chatbot can intelligently solicit feedback, understanding and responding to user sentiments, thereby contributing to the improvement of services.
Adaptability to Regional Dialects
The adaptability of LLMs to regional dialects within Hindi and other Indian languages is exemplified by their ability to understand colloquial expressions and local variations. For instance, a user from Bihar might use different phrases compared to someone from Maharashtra. The chatbot's linguistic adaptability ensures that it can understand and respond effectively to users across diverse linguistic landscapes, fostering a more inclusive and user-friendly experience.
- Colloquial Expressions: Chatbots, powered by LLMs, showcase an understanding of colloquial expressions commonly used in different regions. For instance, a user might inquire about a product with a local term specific to their region, and the chatbot can intelligently respond, demonstrating its grasp of regional linguistic nuances.
- Linguistic Variations: LLMs enable chatbots to interpret linguistic variations within Hindi, such as different pronunciations, vocabulary, and sentence structures. For example, a user from Uttar Pradesh might phrase a question differently than someone from Punjab. The chatbot, with its linguistic adaptability, can accurately interpret and respond to these diverse linguistic inputs.
- Contextual Understanding: The adaptability of LLMs goes beyond literal translations; they understand the contextual significance of words and phrases within specific regions. This allows chatbots to respond appropriately to regional contexts, ensuring that the conversation remains not only linguistically accurate but also culturally resonant.
Continuous Learning for Improved Performance
LLMs employ continuous learning mechanisms, allowing chatbots to evolve and improve over time. If users consistently ask specific questions or use certain phrases, the chatbot can adapt and refine its responses based on this ongoing feedback. This iterative learning process ensures that the chatbot remains up-to-date and adept at addressing changing customer preferences and inquiries.
Closing Words
Chatbots are a convenient way to interact with a business. And the number of users using chatbots is growing by the day.
The future of customer service chatbots is one where Hindi-language chatbots will soon become widespread. By leveraging the power of artificial intelligence, neural networks, and self-supervised learning, LLMs in Hindi will be able to create chatbots that can understand and generate natural and fluent text in one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.
New advancements in Hindi-language LLMs will involve better contextual understanding of India and our culture and traditions, allowing chatbots to grasp subtleties in user queries better and better over time.