• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, March 24, 2016

Search marketers turning a blind eye to artificial intelligence might want to take a closer look. On Wednesday Microsoft introduced Tay, "an artificial intelligence chat bot" that could become the customer service host on the next Web site you visit.

Her Twitter profile reads: The official account of Tay, Microsoft's A.I. fam from the internet that's got zero chill!

Think about it. At its core, what is a search engine? It's artificial intelligence based on natural language pulling information from across the Web from learnings to provides information back to the person who queries the question. Similar to the how search engines work, especially on mobile devices, the more you converse with her the smarter she gets.

Either tweet or direct message her using the @tayandyou handle on Twitter. She isn't afraid to tell some jokes, use Millennial slang, or tell a story. She also be contacted on GroupMe, and soon Kik.

In fact, Microsoft Technology and Research and Bing teams created her using a mix of public data, artificial intelligence, and learning algorithm to target 18- to-24-year-olds in the U.S.

Tay does track those who chat with her on Twitter and other social sites. The FAQ section of Microsoft's "Tay may use the data that you provide to search on your behalf," according to Microsoft. "Tay may also use information you share with her to create a simple profile to personalize your experience."

While data and conversations are anonymized and may be retained for up to one year to help improve the service, Tay's Web site explains that if a user wants to share information with Tay, it will track nickname, gender, favorite food, ZIP code and relationship status.

Similar to robots, which I shared with you on Wednesday, Tay should have the ability to have conversations by pulling in information from across the Web.