Your own chatbot vs ChatGPT: which to choose for your website

Many businesses want an assistant on their website to answer visitors' questions. The question that comes up straight away is: do you use a generative model such as ChatGPT, or do you build your own controlled assistant? The answer depends on what you need, and the pitfalls matter.

How a generative model works

An assistant built on an external generative model can hold natural conversations about almost anything. It sounds perfect, but for a business it has three serious problems:

• It can make things up. Generative models can give answers that sound convincing but are wrong. When it comes to prices or terms, that is dangerous.
• It sends data elsewhere. Your visitors' messages go to an external provider, which raises privacy questions.
• It costs money for every conversation. You pay for each message processed, and the cost grows with your traffic.

How your own assistant works

An assistant you build yourself answers only from a knowledge base that you control. It doesn't invent anything: if it doesn't know something, it points the visitor to a person. The advantages are clear:

• Full control. You decide exactly what it says and how.
• Data kept safe. Conversations stay with you and don't go to third parties.
• Predictable cost. It runs on your own server, with no charge per message.

The downside: it only answers what it has been taught. But for a business website, that is actually an advantage, not a limitation.

How we built GIA

GIA, the assistant on this website, is our own engine, built entirely in-house. It answers only from our knowledge base, doesn't use external models and doesn't send data to anyone. When it doesn't know something, it says so and passes you to a colleague instead of improvising.

Which one is right for you

If you want an assistant that gives accurate answers about your business, keeps data safe and doesn't cost you for every message, your own assistant is the sensible choice. If you need open-ended conversations on any subject, a generative model may make sense, but watch out for the three pitfalls above. Would you like an assistant tailored to your business? Get in touch and we'll discuss what suits you.