Exploring the Future Development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Applications in Chatbots: A Bibliometric Analysis

Chatbots are fast becoming a key instrument in the research community and enterprise, while few researchers have discussed the focus of existing research and future research directions from the perspective of bibliometrics. This study aimed to explore the evolution tracks of AI applications in chatbots through strict and systematic bibliometric analysis. The analysis began with data retrieval in Web of Science using defined search terms associated with AI and chatbots. Bibliometric tools, including BibExcel and CiteSpace, were employed to conduct performance analysis and co-citation network analysis. Results showed that 1320 documents have been identified until 2022 and research on chatbots exploded after 2016. The USA contributed the most publications and the leading journal mainly focused on engineering and science. The co-citation analysis revealed that the development of AI-based chatbots and the related topics can be summarized as user-centered design, implementation techniques, performance requirements, and media type and future directions of AI in chatbots can mainly focus on improvement of technological means, increased demand, and expansion of applications. This study can help researchers have a broader and deeper understanding of AI-based chatbots and provide an insight into aggregate performance in the AI-based chatbot field.