*3.2. Exploring the Wide Range of Applications*

Chatbots have many desirable characteristics that potentially make them an ideal interlocutor to interact and work with [30–32]. In fact, chatbots are potentially able to work efficiently 24/7. They can be customized with user data to try to create a better collaboration, compliance, and, ultimately, a *real virtual symbiosis* with the user. They also have the desirable IT property of scalability, being able to handle a large volume of data and requests/interactions simultaneously. Finally, they allow for savings in resources, being able, through their automatisms, to autonomously carry out tasks, resulting in economic savings in the management of the processes.

Today, chatbots have several applications.

For example, they can be applied, for example, to the following sectors [30–32]:


By analyzing the applications under a broader and cross-domain perspective independent of the categories, it can be noted that chatbots today can find up to 37 applications [33]. Population surveys have shown that chatbots are most expected to [33]: quickly respond to an emergency (37%), solve a complex problem (35%) and Respond quickly (35%). As far as the expected benefits are concerned, the following are mostly expected [34]: having access to a 24/7 service (64%), obtaining quick answers (55%) and answering elementary questions (55%). As can be seen, these "expectations" and "expected benefits" of the different categories identified seem to overlap, and touch many sectors, including the very important one of *healthcare*. In fact, in the healthcare domain, having a rapid response in the event of an emergency, in a 24 h mode, is strategic *in emergency medicine and intensive hospitalization medicine*.
