Conversational Search

Conversational search is an approach to information retrieval in which users interact with a system through natural language dialogue rather than keyword queries, enabling multi-turn exchanges that iteratively refine information needs. For accessibility, conversational search holds particular promise for users who find traditional query formulation difficult, including older adults, people with cognitive disabilities, and users of augmentative and alternative communication devices. Systems such as Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity AI, and ChatGPT with search integration exemplify this approach, though they introduce risks including hallucination, reduced source diversity, and confirmatory search behaviour if not carefully designed to encourage critical engagement with results.