International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development

Chatbots and virtual assistants are software agents that interact with users through natural-language communication (text and/or speech). In the last five years, they have transitioned from rule-based Q&A systems to powerful LLM-backed conversational agents that assist across domains including customer support, healthcare, education, finance, and others. This review examines current applications, enabling methods, evaluation techniques, ongoing technical and ethical issues, and hopeful future directions. Evidence from recent surveys and domain reviews reveals strong gains in capability but continued concerns about bias, safety, evaluation, and real-world integration.