What's stopping Discord bots from embracing AI over traditional command structures?

I’ve been working on a Discord bot for crypto stuff and did some research on other bots out there. One thing that really stood out was how we use AI for our bot, while most others still rely on commands. It got me thinking - why aren’t more Discord bots using AI? It seems like such an obvious choice to make things smoother for users. Is there something I’m missing about why command-based systems are still so common? Maybe there are drawbacks to AI that I haven’t considered? I’d love to hear what others think about this. Has anyone else noticed this trend or worked with both types of bots?

hey noah, good q! i think cost is probs the biggest factor. AI’s expensive to run, especially for small devs. plus, commands r more predictable & easier to debug. but yeah, AI’s def the future for bots. give it time, we’ll see more AI bots soon enough

I’ve been in the Discord bot development scene for a while, and I can shed some light on this. While AI-powered bots are exciting, there are practical reasons why many developers stick to traditional command structures.

Firstly, resource constraints are a big factor. AI models require significant computational power and can be costly to run, especially at scale. For smaller projects or indie developers, this can be prohibitive.

Secondly, there’s the issue of control and customization. Command-based bots allow for precise functionality tailoring, which is crucial for specialized use cases. AI responses, while versatile, can sometimes be too generic or unpredictable for specific tasks.

Lastly, user expectations play a role. Many Discord communities are accustomed to command-based interactions, and sudden shifts to AI might disrupt user experience.

That said, I agree that AI integration is the future. As the technology becomes more accessible and refined, we’ll likely see a gradual shift towards more AI-powered bots in the Discord ecosystem.

As someone who’s developed both AI and command-based bots, I can say there are valid reasons for the slower AI adoption. Reliability is a key factor - commands offer consistent, predictable behavior that’s crucial for many applications. AI responses can be unpredictable or off-topic at times. There’s also the learning curve and development complexity to consider. Traditional command structures are simpler to implement and maintain, especially for smaller teams or individual developers. That said, I agree AI has huge potential for enhancing bot interactions. We’ll likely see a gradual shift as the technology matures and becomes more accessible.